Digimon: Godfall
by Sonfaro
Summary: When human researchers disappear in the deserts of Server, the Digiworlds finest are called upon to investigate. What they find however, may test the bonds between courage and friendship, and usher in an evil that had been silent for far too long.
1. Chapter 1

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

_(EDIT: Made a chronological mistake. It's been fixed.)_

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 1

* * *

My name is Tai Kamiya. I am the Digidestined of Courage.

And I am losing my patience.

My pencil continues to beat out some GACKT song my sister got stuck in my head a few days ago during my last visit to my parents apartment. My notebook is a tapestry of poop doodles and stick figurines doing rude things to one another. I'm slouched in an uncomfortable position I'm too lazy to shift out of. In short, it's another boring day at Business School in lower east Tokyo. A part of me says I should be paying attention. I ignore that part of me.

As the Professor continues with her mind numbing drivel, my mind races in anticipation of what will happen in a few short minutes. The small device in my back pocket will face a computer screen, and I will be transported to another world - The Digiworld we call it. The creation of the continual build up of some kind of data that Izzy knows how to explain. Earths mirror.

I've been traveling to this world – both on accident and purposefully - for the past eight years now. It's a beautiful world. Like us… but not like us. The sky is blue, but not our blue. The trees are green, but not our green. It's a world of factories that make nothing, and signs that point nowhere. A world inhabited by powerful denizens – Digimon we call them. _Digital Monsters_.

It's as much my world as this one.

And that's why I'm so frustrated that time hasn't moved forward faster. My eyes drift listlessly away from the primitive blackboard and out to the window. That world is so close I can almost feel the off-green grass beneath my adidas.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention?"

My eyes dart towards my desk mate. Ami… something. I haven't asked. She sticks her tongue out at me like she's in the fourth grade and goes back to writing notes I'll be copying from her by tomorrow. I grunt under my breath. "I highly doubt that there's anything she'll say in the next minute and a half that is remotely important."

Ami makes a face. "She just announced a quiz on what we learned today next Monday."

I blink. And then I give her my best puppy dog look. "A-mi…"

"Not this time."

"Please…"

She rolls her eyes. "You should have been paying attention."

"C'mon A-mi just let me copy them in the computer lab or something."

She glares at me in the way girls do when you know they'll relent, before finally rolling her eyes and shaking her head in capitulation. "You're so helpless Kamiya."

I smile. "That's why you're such a nice girl Ami. You take pity on the helpless."

"I should just make you suffer without my notes."

"I'll be suffering _with_ your notes. There's no difference."

She gives me a sly grin. "You're so weird Tai."

"You have no idea."

We giggle, leading to our professor to look up from her boring descriptions of financial limitations to glare in our direction. "Is there something the matter Ms. Kitajima?"

Ah. That's her last name.

Ami blushes and shakes her head, while I pretend to find the drawing I made of two stick-ladies in a compromising position relevant to the market cost of the average _blahblahblah_… Our professor turns back to the ancient blackboard and continues her drivel for the next few seconds, while beside me Ami glares at the side of my ear. I can't help but smile a little.

Class ends with the usual maddening scramble to escape all students make. I gather my books together, relieved to have survived another edition of '_The Cosmetics of Finance 101_'. "Thank the maker that's over."

Ami giggles, adjusting her brunette bangs away from her eyes. "It wasn't that bad."

"It was torture!" I moan. "There are death row inmates who get better treatment."

"You complain too much." Ami chastises me. "I happen to think it was an engaging lecture."

"That's 'cause you like this crap." I tell her.

"It could be worse." She reminds me. "You could have sat next to someone who wouldn't have laughed at your corny jokes."

"Everyone laughs at my jokes." I frown in mock annoyance.

She smiles at me. "Keep telling yourself that Kamiya."

I smile back at her. "C'mon. If we stop by the computer lab I can get your notes copied and you can be on your way."

She raises an eyebrow in my direction, a devious smirk playing on her face. "You really think I'm going to give you my notes?"

I pout again. "A-mi…"

"Fine." She shoves me playfully. "But only because you'd be helpless without me."

So we take a walk, down the sterile hallways of our little unsung University in the middle of Japan. I like Ami. I've known her for a few weeks, and from what I've seen I'm glad to have met her. She's one of the few outsiders who I hang out with these days. And with good reason.

I'm a Digidestined: I can travel freely from this world to another, and can directly affect the growth and power level of my partner by force of will alone if need be. It's a lot of power for a eighteen year old freshman to wield. It also means I've been involved in some pretty destructive events. All these things coupled together can create a sense of unease in people. I don't often get recognized from the _Myotismon Invasion_, but when I am it's rarely ever good.

I've been blamed for the deaths of those lost in Odaiba's initial destruction. I've been accused of recklessness in the war against Armageddemon. People think I aspire to be a god. I can barely get through a course in finance, why would I want to be a god? But it's that attitude – the growing resentment and fear of anything Digimon – that keeps me from saying anything. The very idea of an alternate universe, complete with alternate life forms is… unsettling to some of those people out of the loop.

So it's nice to find a pretty girl who's completely oblivious.

We turn a corner and enter the small lab set up for panicked students who need to print papers. Towards the tail end is the dying copier. I smile and politely extend my hand.

"One of these days you're going to have to take your own notes." She tells me seriously.

I yawn. "I'd rather have a root canal performed by _Razor Ramon HG_."

"You really hate that class huh?" Ami asks me as she hands over her notes for me to copy.

"I hate all of them." I tell her as I place the first sheet of handwritten kanji on the copier. "I can't wait to graduate."

"…You're a freshmen." Ami crinkles her nose. "You just got here."

"I know." I moan.

Ami laughs, the sound of her voice just above the noisy copier as it begins photographing the notes I'll neglect to study until the last minute. "Why are you taking classes here if you don't like it?"

"It's my dad's _alma mater_." I confess, shrugging my shoulders with disinterest. "It was easier to get me in here than Tokyo U."

"I'd have thought you'd have been appreciative." She tells me while pointing out that I need to switch the page now.

I sigh, flipping over to the next side and starting the copier again. "He wants me to be a salary man."

She nods in understanding. "You don't."

"Not really. I never liked how he used to come home from work. It's too draining."

"So what do you want to do?"

I pause, wondering how I can explain to her what without telling her what I really want to do. "…Don't you ever think there's more out there for you?"

She shrugs. "Sure."

"Like… a world meant for you. A place where you belong?"

She's quiet then, though after a moment she finds the words to answer. "I guess," she tells me, "though I have no idea where that world would be."

"That's how I feel here." I tell her, switching over to the next page of her notes.

She laughs, pulling a strand of brown hair out of her face. "That's university for you."

I shrug in acceptance. "I guess."

"You could always try that… what are they calling it? Data-world?"

I stop what I'm doing and look at her. _Really look at her_. "What?"

"You know what I'm –"

"Digiworld."

"Right! That."

She says it with the air of someone who's only heard about it on J-Span. Thank goodness. I feign ignorance, with good reason. "What about it?"

She shrugs, genuinely appearing to have no care one way or another. "I hear they're propping up housing and what not over there. Why don't you save your money up and move there?"

I frown. "How much about the Digiworld do you know?"

She shrugs. "Just what they say on the television. Paradise lost and all that…"

Though my suspicions are confirmed, I'm left curious. "Paradise?"

She blinks. "You don't think so?"

I shrug, turning back to the papers. "It's filled with monsters."

She nods. "Oh yeah. Heard about that."

"And I'm okay living here at the moment thank you." I lie. "As boring as it is. No place like home. Right?"

"I guess."

I hand her the last of her notes, satisfied that I'll be able to read the chicken-scratch at some point. Ami smiles at me, gripping her books closer to her. "Hey, I'm hungry. You want to grab some sushi or something?"

I smirk. "Are you asking me out?"

And suddenly Ami Kitajima gets very, _very _red. "W-wha? No, no. I mean… Nope. Just asking if you want to… you know…"

"Eat?"

"Y-yeah."

I smile sympathetically. "Sorry. I've got plans today."

"Oh." She says. And then she gets quieter. "Oh…"

I frown. "You okay?"

For a moment I'm left unsure: Ami says nothing. Finally, her smile returns and she beams at me. "Yeah. Sure, have fun."

She turns on her heel and heads for the door. I call to her before she is completely out of sight. "Bye _A-mi_!"

Ami turns and sticks her tongue out at me like she's a little girl again.

I wave goodbye to her, then watch as she disappears into the crowd of students racing to the monorail. When I know she's out of sight, I set down my books.

See, I didn't come to the lab just to copy her notes; though it was nice to kill two birds with one stone. I came here for my gate. With trepidation I close the door behind me, turning the lock. Satisfied that there will be no interruptions, I turn my eyes to the computer before me. It's funny how simple some things can be.

I pull a small piece of cold metal from my back pocket, and point its LCD screen towards the monitor of my choice. Instantly a set of programs pop up indicating location and duration of travel. My digiport: tunnel to another world. It doesn't take me long to issue the program a set of commands we've all gotten so used to uttering.

"Digiport: Open!"

And in a moment I am flying. I'm suspended in space, falling forward through the computer screen and beyond at incredible speeds. Behind me is the world I knew; rapidly shrinking out of sight the farther down I descend. Around me are the most amazing lights: vibrant colors that fill the spectrum and would leave anyone in awe. I can't help but grin, every time I take this trip; though the voyage is always all too brief.

The next thing I know my adidas stand nestled in sand that isn't earth, and I look up to a sky that doesn't belong to me. My grin grows wider, and I feel like I'm home again.

The Digital World.

I take a deep breath. The continent of Server is a dry land of immense deserts and rich oasis. It's a land I know quite well, having trekked from one side of the continent to the other since my childhood. Currently, I'm located within the limits of the artificial city we've come to call Neo-Delhi… for various reasons.

The _Portologist _greets me from his position beside the monitor, and rises to conduct a search. A quick flash of my Digivice, and he bows and sits back in his chair. The privilege of being a Digidestined never ceases to amaze me these days. I set my Digivice back in my pocket and head for the waiting area at the far side of the monitor.

The waiting area isn't much more than a dusty alleyway with a bench at the end, but that's neither here nor there. It's relatively empty today, save for an elderly Indian woman and a few European reaserchers. And of course my DNA partner. Towards the end of the row, surrounded on either side by two rookies I've come to regard as friends, sits Yamato 'Matt' Ishida.

He sits with that signature slouch of his; oozing 'cool' from the top of his (completely dye-jobbed) hair to his doc marten boots he considers stylish. He's got a set of headphones plugged into his ears, likely listening to his incessantly poppy 'Teenage Wolves' album. I sigh. At some point they're gonna have to change that name.

Beside him, sit two very specific Digimon. Gabumon, Matt's partner, is a pudgy little Dog-lizard with a horn jutting from his skull like a unicorn. He's a bashful guy who tends to keep to himself, but he's loyal, and friendly, and a great go-to-guy when things get dicey.

And then there's Agumon.

"Tai!" My diminutive T-rex yelps when he sees me.

"Yo!" I respond.

Agumon scrambles away from Matt and Gabumon and charges towards me, catching me with a flying hug that sends us both to the ground laughing. I don't get to see Agumon in person that often anymore – schooling keeps treks to the Digital world to a minimum. But those moments we get, we make count.

Matt looks up and takes his headphones off. After recognizing me, his face contorts in annoyance. "You're late." Matt meets me with feigned indifference.

I roll my eyes from the ground. "I'm sorry." I tell him. "Some of us had _real_ school"

He stifles at that a little. "Volunteering for the JSDF entails just as much responsibility as writing a paper Tai."

"You study military maneuvers in a country that doesn't have a real army." I smirk. "I win."

Matt sighs, running a hand through his bleach blond hair. "Can we not have this argument? I already got an earful from Sora. I don't need it from you too."

I grin as I rise from the ground. "You should know better Matt." I tease. "What's good for her is good for me!"

"Jerk." He punches me in the shoulder, but he's smiling anyway. I laugh. My relationship with Matt Ishida is a complicated one. We're best friends… sorta. Matt's 'to-cool-for-school' attitude is annoying, and he's told me in no uncertain terms that he thinks I'm an idiot. But I love him; jerk that he is. And he loves me.

_Guy-love_, I mean. Keep your heads out of the gutter.

"So what are we doing boys?" I scratch behind Agumon's ear. "Are we on a quest? Some pirates need thrashing? What gives?"

"Don't know." Answers Agumon with a pleased sigh. "We were hoping to find out when you got here.

"Mina was supposed to meet us, but she's gotten held up somewhere." Explains Gabumon. "We were waiting here for you, so…"

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry I'm late." I wave them off. "You guys whine more than my cat."

"That's not possible." Agumon mumbles under his breath.

I smile, patting Agumon on the snout. I then turn to Matt, the humor around us dying out a little. "What's the big deal anyway? Why'd Mina send for us?"

"Beats me." Matt tells me. "She didn't give us many details."

"Maybe she just wanted to chat." Gabumon offers. "She's always trying to get the worldwide Digidestined to form some kind of network. Maybe this is part of that."

"She could have sent a PM on Izzy's PiSpace account for that." Matt reminds his partner.

"There's definitely something fishy." Agumon agrees. "Things don't smell right anymore."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"You don't smell it? The growing sulfer smell?"

I blink. "You sure that isn't you?"

"I'm not going crazy!"

Suddenly, we hear: "Greetings Digidestined of Japan."

The booming voice behind us startles Gabumon, who yelps and catches hold of Matt's leg. We all turn to face our greeter. A humanoid figure engulfed in perpetual flame salutes us. "Oh. Hi, Meramon-Singh." Matt returns.

The creature – a Meramon who took the face name of his partner – bows to us respectfully. "Greetings, Yamato Ishida. Greetings, Gabumon-Ishida. Greetings, Tai Kamiya. Greetings Agumon-Kamiy-"

"We said hi Meramon." I yawn.

Matt ignores me. "Where's Mina?"

The flaming monster bows again. "She has been meeting with recruiting Tamers all day. She apologizes for making you wait."

"We would have been waiting anyway." Matt mumbles. I shoot an elbow into his stomach.

"Please, follow me."

With that, Meramon-Singh turns and begins heading towards the city center. As we follow, Agumon manages to grumble to himself. "I told you I smelled sulfur."

The firey man leads us to a large tent just outside of Neo-Delhi's city-hall. Several Tamers – humans who were allowed a Digimon partner after the battle with MaloMyotismon – are lined up with their partners, nervously awaiting an official Tamers Liscense, which gives them free reign to explore the Digital world. In the center of the tent stands Mina.

Mina Singh is one of the principle Digidestined from the Pakistan/Indian area. She's a lovely girl; dark skin, bright eyes, and a pleasing personality. She and our friend Izzy chit-chat regularly over the web on various discoveries. When she sees us, she waves off a young ten year old Tamer who's Pokomon doesn't look like it could defend a play fort, much less his human companion. "Tai-san! Matt-san!" She addresses us while adding an attempt at Japanese honorifics. It's adorable. "It is good to see you!"

The rest of the Tamers are led off by one of Mina's associates, allowing us the tent to ourselves. She greets us with a pleasant wave of the hand, ushering us forward. "Sorry we're late." Matt tells her. "Tai says he had homework and-".

"I said I'm sorry!"

Mina giggles. "You two are such a married couple." She observes. I feign retching and she laughs again.

"We didn't come to catch up on old times though, did we?" Matt asks finally.

Mina's mirth dies and a solemn expression adorns her face. "Indeed we did not."

I clear my throat. "So? What's going on?"

She hesitates, briefly, looking over to see if someone is watching. Then she turns to us and extends a hand. "Come with me."

She leads us away from her tent and through the dusty streets filled with humans and Digimon. Neo-Delhi is packed to the brim with life. Overwhelmingly, that life is humanity; they outnumber Digimon at least five-to-one if Izzy's report is correct. Still, the image of Human beings working together in a community with Digimon is a hopeful site for me, and I can only stare out in awe.

"How many people live here?"

"We have about twenty-thousand registered as denizens." She tells us proudly. "Most of them still consider India their home, but the research being done here draws them like moths to the flame. Quite a few here are interested in repeating the process that sparked the Digital world, but none can seem to figure out what happened."

"It will never happen." The voice of Meramon booms.

"Why not?"

Meramon turns to me. "They are not gods."

"Don't tell that to them." Mina tells her partner playfully. "They are convinced they can do it."

Matt frowns. "Is that all they ever do here? Research?"

"No." Mina answers. "A few people – the rich ones, are here for… less noble reasons."

"Tax evasion." Meramon explains.

"Hmm… Remind me to save up to move." I joke.

"REPENT!"

Before Matt can tell me how terrible that joke was, we are interrupted from our musings by the cry of a Shamanmon ahead of us. Shamanmon are little ogre creatrures, about the size of a five year old boy. This one carries with him a thick club adorned with feathers and nearly buried beneath a robe. Behind the Shamanmon are several clay dolls with… interesting characteristics. It takes me a moment to realize what they are. "Crap, it's us!"

Matt blinks "Eh?"

"Sorry." Mina pauses in our travels to explain. "This is Shamon-Rev… Or at least what we're calling him. He doesn't seem to answer any of our questions."

"What is he doing?"

"Preaching." Mina makes a face. "He is part of a very new religion amongst Digimon. One that bypasses the four guardians and devotes itself only to… well. You."

"How flattering." Matt says sarcastically.

"It's called Digidestinism: the belief that humanity are gods and that the Digidestined are their prophets." She waves a hand. "They are relatively harmless."

I blink. "Relatively?"

"Eh…" She raises a finger to her chin. "Shamanmon-Rev tried to bite the leg of a non-believing heckler in the square once. We told him he could only preach from here as penance."

I grin. "Ah cool! We have _fans_."

"More like _fanatics." _Matt whispers in awe.

By now the Shamanmon has noticed us. "Blessed is this day! The Digidestined have descended from their ethereal world upon us lowly scraps of data and code to bless the ground. Bow your heads, ye fools. Your gods, they walk among you!"

"Eh… we're just gonna go look at… um… some problem with the roads over here-"

"PRAISE THEM! The Digidestined have sensed the plight of their subjects and have come to redeem the very roads we walk upon. Bow your heads in fear, whilst the Digidestined fill the potholes of your very cores."

I blink and turn away. "Ooookay."

"Remind me not to drink their kool-aide." Matt grumbles.

"At least you guys get cool statues."

"It's not a contest Agumon."

Our journey takes us onwards, passed the crazy Shamanmon and to the very outskirts of town. His sermon dies out as we move forward. Our conversations in between destinations are brief and courteous. Our minds however wander. At least mine does.

Have my actions really warranted that kind of praise?

Yeah, we've saved this world and it's people hundreds of times over now, and we do regularly interfere in problems directly. But have we earned the right to be worshiped from these beings of data? Have we earned the right to play God?

I'm thrown from my musings as our party slows. Mina leads us to a heavily taped off area. "We're here." She says quietly.

We've arrived at a pit. A big, gaping hole in the center of the road. It's man made, possibly a drill rig from one of the specially designed equipment programs. It's clear that this hole has been open for some time, though the why's we could only guess at. Until we move closer. We step under the caution tape to get a better look inside. What I see inside takes my breath away.

Wires. Black, snake like wires coiling around each other as if they were alive. They're jumbled up in knots below us: undulating round and around. They stretch on for as far as the gaping hole allows us to see, sweeping in every direction with no end in sight. Whatever they are… Whatever they're for… they chill my blood.

"_Hack me_…" Agumon whispers.

"We discovered them while trying to install a new pluming system for the city." Mina explains. "The wires appear to crisscross around the area in some sort of grid."

"What is it?" Matt asks.

"We don't know." Mina confesses with a bowed head. "Any attempts to study them closer have lead to disaster. Two humans had their data severely altered while investigating."

"Are they alright?" I ask.

"We've got technicians working on them. They should be fine. But I don't think we can take any chances."

"If someone were to accidentally fall inside the wires there would be little we could do." Meramon says quietly. At least, as quietly as he can.

"So where do we come in?" Agumon asks.

Mina wrings her hands together. "I'm afraid this is where the news becomes most grave. After the initial discovery, a group from the MAGAMI Corporation requested to investigate. We agreed to let them out of the city limits with a Digimon escort, believing there to be no harm. However…"

"They haven't returned." Gabumon finishes.

The implication is obvious. In the years since limited access was allowed into the digital world, there have been a number of injuries: broken bones, scorched skin. Mostly, the wounded are those who deserve it, instigators and poachers who think that somehow a Digimon is analogous to modern animals. Rarely has anyone died, and those who had, were typically from natural causes… at least as natural as one can get in the Digiworld. But if these researchers had been killed…

"We'll look into it." I tell her finally.

"Excellent! When can we expect you?"

"Tomorrow." Matt announces before I have a chance to reply. "We'll Digiport to your researcher's last location and start from there."

"You mean it?" Mina asks hopefully.

I shoot Matt a dirty look, but nod. "Yeah. You can count on us."

She throws her long arms around us then, squeezing for all she is worth. "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" She bows to us both, a sad smile on her face. "You don't know what this means to us. The colonists were getting restless." Then she quiets a little, sharp eyes darting about to see if anyone is watching. "Be careful. There have been strange sightings in the desert since we found them. Watch your selves."

Matt frowns. "We'll be careful."

She bows again and mumbles a few apologies, leading Meramon-Singh away from the tent and off to another task.

I turn to Matt. "We should go now."

Matt shakes his head. "We'd be totally unprepared. We need to have a plan before we jump into Servers deserts.

"We have a plan." I frown. "Go in, save the useless researchers, maybe fight some bad guys, and then go home."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Agumon agrees.

Matt makes a face. "This isn't a random adventure, it's a rescue mission. We need time to plan and a good nights sleep."

I frown. "What is this, JSDF training?"

"Come on Tai, you know I'm right."

I sigh. "Yeah." I run my fingers through my hair in frustration. "I also know that every second counts if we're gonna save these guys."

"I know that." Matt argues. "But there's no telling how long it will take, and if we just run out there without a strategy we could end up doing more harm than good-"

"Alright! Alright." I sigh again. "We'll do it your way."

Matt nods. We purchase dinner for ourselves and our partners, while making plans to meet at noon tomorrow in the city. We advise our partners to find lodging in town for the night, and meet us at the rendezvous point. We discuss the details as we head for the digiport – to be honest I wane in and out after a while. Every second that ticks by is another second that some human out there slips farther and farther away from rescue. We don't have a whole lot of time.

By the time I've thought all that through we've arrived back at the port. The Portalogist keys up the channels for us, and the monitor glows a familiar blue. Matt lifts his digivice and smiles at me. "See you on the other side."

I don't have time to respond before Matt disappears into the computer before me. I hesitate briefly, and take a moment longer to gaze back towards the gaping pit. The cold feeling that I usually get when something bad happens shoots up my spine and makes my hairs stand on end. Whatever is going on, we won't have long to wait.

My name is Taichi Kamiya. I am the Digidestined of Courage.

And I am not one to be patient.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**1**

**Digimon**


	2. Chapter 2

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 2

* * *

My name is Matt Ishida. I am the Digidestined of Friendship.

And I am practicing patience.

It's easy to overlook the simple things in life. Like the time it takes to fix your hair. I'm usually very precise about my appearance; two globs of gel, a quick slick back, even out the sides. Rotate in the mirror, snap the cuff of my designer shirt into place, grab hair dryer and wait three minutes until hair is firm and spiky. Repeat as needed. It's become such a natural part of my routine that I can do it anywhere without really thinking about it. This gives me a chance to zone out for a moment and helps me concentrate on bigger issues.

Like why would there be wires coiling under Neo-Delhi?

It's playing in the back of my mind as I spread another glob of gel through the dirty blond strands on my head. The image of jet black coils writhing around is unsettling at best. But I shouldn't simply make an assumption. There are many mysteries within the Digital world. Undulating wires may be one of them. But where do they come from? They appeared to stretch on forever, just below the surface of the Digital world. And they appeared to have been placed there for some purpose.

That said; we can't jump to conclusions. This is the Digital world we're talking about. I've seen entire factories devoted to building then taking apart a product before anyone had any idea what it was for. Though the wires seem to indicate design, there's just no telling.

More troubling however, is the thought that human beings have gone missing from investigating. There have been a lot of accidents since men were allowed within the Digital realm. But these were the exception, not the rule. That a whole group of foreigners could be lost within the confines of the Digital plane could be trouble – for all of us. Whatever is going on, we have to be cautious.

"Are you still in there?"

The voice is as soft and gentle as it is annoyed. I don't take my eyes off myself. "Nn… Sorry Sora, just a minute."

My girlfriend of three years ignores me and barges in anyway. A trait she seems to have inherited from a brunette friend of ours. "I swear Matt," she pouts with arms crossed about her chest, "you're in there longer than I am."

I scoff. "That's because you have shorter, less defined hair."

To demonstrate, I reach across for her hair. She punches me in the shoulder. I smile and adjust myself, allowing the ginger beauty space in the mirror with me. She doesn't seem too impressed by my minute gesture of chivalry. "If you're going to keep coming over directly after you and Tai go causing trouble -"

"We didn't start anything on purpose!"

"-You're going to have to leave your own hair supplies here. You can't keep using my stuff."

I pout, playfully. "Aw, but I like smelling like flowers."

She rolls her pretty brown eyes at me. "Wuss."

"Ah..." I blink my blues. "You like me when I smell this way too."

She yawns before turning and leaving me in the bathroom. "I like you period. Now get out, you smell like a girl."

I put the finishing touches on my look, making sure that my shirt is only slightly unbuttoned and that the collar is sufficiently popped, before joining my lovely lady friend in her living room. "Thank you for letting me crash babe." I say as I flop down beside her on the couch.

"No problem." Sora says. "Momma says hi by the way."

I choke up a little, and I know the blood in my face is running away. "D-does your mother know I spent the night?"

Sora yawns, unconcerned. "She saw you on the couch this morning. She said: 'So long as it's only the couch he was on last night, it's fine'.

I feel a mixture of relief and embarrassment wash over me. "Oh. Good."

"I don't see why you don't just stay at your barracks in the night anyway." She says. "Don't they yell at you for abandoning your bunk or whatever?"

I shoot her a playful glare. "It's a normal school just like any other. I have regular roommates and everything."

"Normal schools don't have professors who can hold weapons."

_And it starts_. I sigh, bringing my hand to my forehead to rub away the coming tension that comes from an attempt to quell a _Sora-fight_ before it begins. "That's only in the field. Come on babe, can we not discuss this right now?"

"Fine." She says without another word.

I'm shocked and relieved. Sora hates the idea of me being anywhere near anything military, so avoiding the argument today is a big step forward. Hopefully.

"You hungry?" She asks with no hint of annoyance in her voice. "I'm gonna cook some eggs."

"Nn… Sorry. I've only got a little bit left before I go."

"Off with Tai on an adventure?" She says with mock jealousy.

"Might take the whole day." I acknowledge.

"Aww… I'll miss you Matt-y." She teases. I squeeze her cheek in retaliation.

Ours is a weird relationship. We've never really been as lovey-dovey as other couples, though we do all the typical holding of hands and making out of your average Japanese boyfriend and girlfriend I guess. Every once in a while she'll say something very awkward, but quite sweet. And now-and-again I'll have the money to buy her something simple. It's never been a super tight relationship, but we're comfortable with each other. We don't go on fancy dates, we don't like being too public with one-another. We enjoy the company, and that's enough for us.

She leans in closer to me as we watch the television together. My arm finds its self around her shoulder without a second thought. She smiles. "We are still on for date night tomorrow, aren't we?" She asks.

"Hopefully." I respond.

"So. This adventure you and Tai are on…"

"It's a rescue mission. A couple of MAGAMI Corp. researchers went missing a few days ago." I yawn a little. "If all goes well we'll find these missing researchers in a couple of hours wandering dehydrated or something."

"Ah. Why'd Mina ask for you?"

"Eh… our charming personalities?"

Sora gives me a look.

"Nn… I guess she's really worried. Can't take too many chances outside the safe-zones."

She frowns, moving a strand of ginger hair behind her ear. "That's not really a good excuse though. Davis and Ken could have easily taken this mission."

"Eh… it's not that simple." I sigh. "Davis has to study so he and TK will be at the library most of the day. They say it won't be but a few hours but…"

"It's Davis." Sora nods. "I guess Ken's out too then?"

"He had an open house at some school in Germany and won't be available till later this afternoon."

Sora blinks in surprise. "Germany?"

I nod. "He said he didn't think he'd be going, but it was a good idea for him to make an appearance. Force Tokyo U to drop their tuition to get him." I smirk. "He's a clever kid."

"Still, are none of the others available?"

I shake my head. "Kari and Yolei are working with the villagers of File to build a school for the freshies coming up, so they'll be busy all day. And Cody's mom would rather keep him out of patrols that don't include Yolei -"

"Still doesn't trust us?"

I shrug. "She trusts Yolei. Besides it's a rescue mission, not a full out assault. So that just leaves us.

"The seniors."

I raise an eyebrow. "We aren't that old."

Sora sighs. "We're old enough. Joe still has aches from when he was twelve years old." She leans into my side, her eyes trailing the ceiling in thought. "We can't keep going back and forth like this."

I shrug. "It's not a problem. Just one more adventure. It's been a while since me and Gabumon really had a chance to hang out anyway. I know Tai and Agumon feel the same. And the mission isn't so perilous that the four of us can't handle things. So, we thought we'd make a day of it."

"A day?"

I blink. "MmmHmm…"

"Just you and Tai?"

"MmHmm…"

"Should I be jealous?"

I turn to face her. There is a glimmer of something dangerous in the way she looks at me. I like it. "Very."

She leans up to me, and I feel her smile as her lips press to mine. I return the favor. It's at this point we become just your average loving couple I guess, though it's not without its drawbacks. Kissing Sora scares me sometimes. Because I enjoy it so much that I never, ever, want to stop. Pretty soon it isn't just a kiss anymore. In a moment I feel her arm wrap around my neck. And before I know it, my hand has found its way to her thigh.

I stop cold.

I lean away from her, cursing myself for doing so, but feeling shame about it just the same. Sora bites her lip, her eyes wide in surprise. I turn away, trying hard not to look so guilty. "Sorry."

"For what?" She asks.

"Nn… Just sorry."

"Umm… Matt?"

"Hmm?"

"Momma won't be back for a while."

Her voice is low, almost a whisper. She won't face me, but I know she's blushing. And judging from how warm I'm feeling just now I must be too. It's just the two of us. In her apartment…

Alone.

My cell phone begins beeping, bringing our quiet little moment to a screeching halt. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I blush, leaning away from her for a moment. "Ne… I should probably take that."

Sora clears her throat, her face awash with both relief and disappointment all at once. "Y-yeah. You probably should."

"…"

"Are you gonna?"

"…Yeah."

She giggles a little and leaves me on the couch, heading towards the kitchen area. I clear my throat and flip open my cell phone. "Hello-hello. This is Matt."

_"Matt, it's Izzy."_ The voice from the other end greets me with as much cheer as a bored scientist can give over the phone. _"This is your eleven o'clock call."_

I blink, remembering I'd asked Izzy to phone me when it was time for me to go. "Thanks."

_"Do you want to meet at the lab?"_

"Sure Izzy." I say as I rise and gather my things. "Give me a second, I'm at the low end of Odaiba, I'll catch the trolley from here."

_"…You're at Sora's again?"_

I feel a bead of sweat crossing down my brow. "Uh… yeah."

_"…Did I interrupt something?"_

"NO! No, I…" I swear and let my forehead flop into the palm of my hand. "I'll be there in a minute."

_"Alright."_ Izzy says, a little less than enthusiastic.

I flip down my phone and press my fingers to my skull. Sora gives me a humorous smile. "Time to go?"

"Yeah." I sigh as I rise from her couch. "Gotta go save some scientists."

"Well, tell me if something happens." Sora says. "You know how Tai is."

I can't help but nod. "Don't I ever."

We kiss again – I'm sure to keep it short this time. I leave the apartment and make my way to the trolley stop down the street, thanking my lucky stars that it's a lazy Saturday.

It doesn't take long to reach Izzy's lab from the trolley, but I am given a chance to ponder on the way. So much has happened since I was a boy. Advancements in technology have led to a brighter future for humanity. But in a way, not much has changed either. People still go about their business: going to work, buying their groceries, relaxing at home. All without a single concern about the dimension just across from them.

Unfortunately, I fear they'll start to notice now.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat. Something about all this just doesn't add up. Why is it that we're just now hearing about these wires beneath Neo-Delhi? What is it about these wires that are sending people into comas? And why are the MAGAMI Corporation the only group willing to step out and find the answers? I know Mina isn't one to lie. But that doesn't mean these scientists are feeding her the truth either.

It doesn't matter though. In the end I'm just a foot soldier. It's all we are. We can only follow the mission parameters and hope for the best.

Man, do I sound paramilitary.

I reach my destination in under twenty minutes. The lab is a converted supermarket; the windows tainted and a gate added to keep the general public from crossing inside. When Izzy informed us he'd be working here for the fall semester as part of his internship, we'd been both supportive and concerned. We don't know much about the MAGAMI Corporation: only that it was set up directly after we announced to the world that the Digiworld existed. Its stated purpose was the continued research of the Digital plane, which in theory is okay.

It's just that they're _so _eager about it.

Still, Izzy's presence within their ranks at least gives us an eye on the inside should things be less than friendly between MAGAMI and Digimon in general. I meet with the guard at the front desk and tell him my name. He grunts and points down a few cubicles and gives me Izzy's lab number. It's clear that he probably knows who I am, and even clearer that he doesn't like me.

Figures.

The walk to Izzy's personal corner isn't a long one, but it is an awesome reminder of the leaps in technology humanity has made in the mean time. In every window and every crevice I pass some new fangled machine I can't fully explain sits as if on display for me, glistening in sterile white and blacks. I finally reach Izzy's lab and knock on the window. The doors are opened to me, and there behind the desk sits the bearer of knowledge himself.

"Hey Izzy."

My friend extends as pleasant a greeting as he's known to give: a simple raise of the hand as he stares at his computer screen. I roll my eyes as I approach. Koushiro Izumi – better known among us simply as 'Izzy' – is one of the original Digidestined, and may be the smartest of us all (though our buddy Ken tends to give him a run for his money). In the years since the public reveal of the Digital World, Izzy has become something of a pioneer in the field of Artificial-life research. Heck, he'll get a full ride from Tokyo U off a blog post about the similarities between Digimon base code and human DNA. Just as soon as he graduates highschool that is...

To me though, he'll always be the same old Izzy.

"Good morning to you too." I mutter sarcastically.

Izzy's eyes don't leave the computer screen, but his voice is at least apologetic. "Sorry. Have to put the finishing touches on this report."

"Another blog on Digimon anatomy?"

"A book report on Dostoyevsky." He finally turns from his computer to give me a look of disappointment. "I hate my Lit. class."

I smile. "Don't you think they'd be disapproving if they found you doing someone else's work?"

Izzy makes a face. "What are they gonna do? Fire me? I practically run this place."

I laugh. "Nice to see some humility Izzy."

Izzy shakes his head. "I'm not trying to brag. How many people did you see passing through?"

"Eh… one or two."

"Exactly." He crosses his arms. Fuming. "All this space, this entire lab, and no one else uses it."

I shrug. "Sounds like you love this job."

"It's just an internship." Izzy grumbles.

I get serious. "I take it you've already heard then?"

"Not much." He answers, his humor diminished. "But yes, I've heard. It's all anyone is talking about here."

"What do you think happened?"

Izzy frowns. "I don't know. Hopefully, you'll find out for me."

"That's what we're here for." I tell him, and he nods with assurance. "Anything on the wires?"

"They're intriguing. Familiar even." He minimizes his report long enough to show me a graph of the projected wires on his laptop. "They share similar characteristics with Ken's control spires, though they are not nearly as powerful. They shouldn't hamper Digivolution too much, but they will mess with our sensors a bit. They also appear to have some connection with Etemon's dark network…"

"Didn't the Dark Network vaporize when Tai got sucked back?"

"Indeed, which is why I say they _appear_ to have connection. My guess is; we have a very clever copy-cat trying to run things from behind the veil."

I nod. "Time to bring him out into the open then."

"I suggest you proceed with caution." Izzy warns. "If they're emulating the patterns of Etemon and the Digimon Emperor, who knows what else they've got under their sleeves."

I nod. "We'll be careful."

"Also, while you're in there. Would you mind testing this out for us?"

He hands me a hulking mass of plastic and metal from within a briefcase on his desk. It's heavier than a small child. "What is this thing?" I try not to grumble.

"It's the MAGAMI corp. first generation trans-dimensional phone." Izzy beams. "I helped to design it."

"Why is it the size of a small dog?"

Izzy shoots me a heated look. "The first cell phone was the same size."

"Yeah. But that was a whole century ago. You'd think you could make it smaller."

"At the moment, technology hasn't come along fast enough to create a better module. All the necessary components barely fit in there as is. This thing-"

"-could kill someone." I finish for him.

Izzy snatches the technological monstrosity from my hands and stuffs it back into the briefcase. "It's a work in progress." He grumbles as he snaps the latches down. "Anyway, you should be able to contact me via my cell phone, allowing for direct contact between the worlds."

"If that doesn't work I could always bash someone in the head with it." I grin. Izzy does not look amused.

"Regardless, if you could find time during your search to put the device to use, we'd really appreciate it." Izzy returns to his computer, typing up a few commands, before pulling up a map of what I instantly recognize as the continent of Server. "Their last known location is about twenty kilometers out from Neo-Delhi. I've plugged in your portal coordinates. Just to let you know, there won't be a Portalogist to meet you."

"I figured. Humanity hasn't spread that far yet."i"If my calculations are correct then the grid you're seeing is wider spread than even Mina suggested. About one-fifth of the continent seems to be connected, and It appears to be growing."

"So we'll have to be careful, for all we know it may even be a new Digimon." I zip up my jacket and grab the briefcase. "When did we say Tai was getting here?"

"Hmm?"

"Tai? I figured he'd be late but it's time to jump and he's not here yet."

Izzy blinks. "He's already inside."

I stop what I'm doing to look at Izzy. "What?"

Izzys face is the picture of one who has been conned by the clever mechanations of one Tai Kamiya. "H-he said you two decided to meet in the Digital World."

By now I feel the beads of anxious sweat forming at the top of my scalp. "How long has he been in there?"

Izzy makes a face. "I don't think he left."

"…What?" The beads of sweat are pouring like faucets.

Izzy nervously turns back to his computer, pulling up a few calculations and reviewing his history. "His last response to me came at eleven fifty-two last night. That's when he told me you two decided to rendezvous tomorrow." His face reddens and he avoids my gaze. "Something about you and Sora needing quality time or…"

"Nothing happened!" The back of my ears are on fire.

Izzy shrugs and continues. "Anyway… yeah. He's still in there."

I shake my head in disbelief._ He couldn't be that…_

I frown. I keep on forgetting who I'm talking about. "Where is he now?"

Izzy turns back to the computer and pulls up a map. With a few strokes on his keyboard he zero's in on a familiar signal. "A few kilometers from the arrival point. Agumon and Gabumon are with him."

"Is he alright?"

"The signal is strong. I'd say they're at full strength." He blinks and takes a closer look. "And making good time too."

"Never mind." I slide my hand across my face in frustration. "Just tell me how close you can port me to his position."

Izzy nods, working the calculations. "Here." He points to a blip on the computer screen. "They'll pass this monitor in a few minutes. You can rendezvous with them there."

"Great." I mutter while fishing for my Digivice.

Izzy types a few more codes and the computer screen becomes alive with activity. "Good luck." He tells me.

"Thanks." I grunt. Then I face the screen, raising my Digivice. "Digiport: open!"

There is a rush of wind, and everything falls around me. I feel the plummeting sensation one gats when crossing the worlds: a feeling of weightlessness at first, before you're hurtled down a corridor of bright lights. It's a humbling feeling; riding the Digiport. It's not for the faint at heart.

The next thing I know my Doc Martens are settled in desert sands and the digital sun is bearing down on me. I squint my eyes and look around. I'm deep in the deserts of Server, with no clear point of reference to tell me how far away I am from civilization. Quickly I set down the metal briefcase and open my D-Terminal, pulling up my map settings. I'm forced to frown. I should be right on top of –

"Boo!"

I yelp at the sudden sound behind me. Immediately however, I know that I'll regret that reaction. I turn with a sense of impending personal doom. Tai Kamiya stands before me, flanked by Agumon and Gabumon, trying desperately not to laugh.

"Yo." He blinks owlishly at me and raises his hand in greeting.

I feel a couple of emotions well up inside of me at once: relief to see that Tai hasn't done something stupid enough to get injured; blind rage that he's so stupid regardless. "You idiot!"

"Whoa, what I do this time?"

"You psychopath, you could have been killed!"

Tai grins like a Cheshire cat. "Aw… Matt, I didn't know you cared."

"I don't." I lie. "I just don't want to deal with Sora if she found out I let some Digimon blast you to bits!"

"Ah don't get your panties in a bunch Matt. I can handle myself. Besides, we made some pretty good ground."

"That doesn't matter!" I bark. "What would have happened if you were attacked?"

"Greymon." Is all he says to me.

"Greymon can't solve everything." I shoot back.

Agumon frowns. "Says who?"

"Look Matt, if there was any real danger, you know I wouldn't dive into it on purpose." His face is the picture of unnatural self assurance. "Besides, what if an ally needed our help? I can't turn my back on them can I?"

"We had a plan!"

"_You_ had a plan." Tai corrects me with a nod. "And had we followed that plan we'd have been five kilometers back by now."

I want to say more but I'm afraid he'd just brush me off with a sly comment and that lopsided grin of his. Instead I turn to my partner, who looks more or less embarrassed about the whole situation. "Gabumon, you too?"

My dog-lizard raises a paw to the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry Matt. I wanted to stay… But Tai promised me chocolate."

"Tai!"

He shrugs, appealing to innocence. "What? I'm totally gonna give him chocolate after we're done. Honest."

"You can't lure my partner away with the promise of sweets!"

"What is that, a law?" He frowns.

"It's like an unwritten code or something." I turn my attention back to my partner. "Seriously, I thought you were going to tone down on the sweet tooth?"

"Eh… maybe after this mission?"

My face finds my hand again. "Why do I even bother?"

"What is that thing?" Agumon asks while pointing at the briefcase.

"Huh?" I look down. "Something Izzy made. Supposed to be a phone."

"Isn't that gonna get in our way a little?" The dinosaur asks me. "One more thing to keep track of?"

"You would thing." I make a face. "We could have planned for it… if we had stuck to the plan."

"What? You wanna hold my hand Matt-y?" He sings my name in the annoying way he picked up from Sora.

I glower. "If that would keep you from running off…"

"_Gasp_. He admits it!"

I roll my eyes. "Shut up Kamiya."

Tai presses both hands together and bats his eyelashes. It's clearly supposed to be his impression of Sora. "Silence me if you want Matt-y. But I know you can't hide your feelings for much longer."

"Wah! What will we tell Sora?" Smirks Agumon.

I glare. "Alright. Haha…"

By now even my partner is in on the act. "Matt and Tai… hehehe…"

"Not funny Gabumon!"

"I'd be careful if I were you." Tai grins like a madman. "You heard what Mina said. Someone might see us and assume we were; you know… together."

"You'd like that wouldn't you." I glare.

Tai laughs, and unfortunately his mirth is contagious: for the life of me I can't stay mad at the big haired idiot long enough. I let my guard down and give up trying to be angry. It's a useless emotion when you're with Tai. I punch him in the shoulder and we both end up laughing, with Gabumon stifling a chuckle and Agumon scratching his nose in boredom. I don't know what it is about us, but when I'm with Tai the rest of the world just melts away.

We don't see the enemy coming until it's too late.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**2**

**Digimon**


	3. Chapter 3

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**A/N: **A quick note before we begin. A reviewer has brought up the criticism that certain characters wouldn't act a certain way. And I agree for the most part- if we're talking about the Japanese series. However, this story takes place in a slightly more mature version of the dub universe, and so certain characteristics from the original wouldn't pass over necessarily. Also, I want to empathize that the dub universe is not the same as the original. Character traits found in one aren't necessarily found in the other. There is no 'flaw' in that sense. Only a difference. And as _this_ was the show _I _grew up watching, the dub is what this story is based on. Thank you for reading.

**A/N2: **Noticed some grammar and location issues that were a bit confusing, they've been fixed.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 3

* * *

We don't see them coming when they hit.

They pop out of the ground like beetles in the summer: five noisy robot looking things buzzing about with insect wings and spiders legs. They zip above us like flies, swarming just over our heads. From the center of their single eyes fires rounds of energize projectiles, narrowly missing us as they descend. We duck for cover, while our partners flank us in defensive positions, firing at our assailants.

**_"Pepper Breath!"_**

**_"Blue Blaster!"_**

It's no good. Whatever these mechanical insects are, they're fast. They fire at a rapid pace before diving back under the sands again. Only to pop up from a different angle and fire again. Matt and I run for dear life while these robots continue their assault. Unfortunately there's no place to hide out here. We're in the middle of nowhere. Instinctively, we both drop as low to the ground as we can, as our partners fan out to protect us.

From the side of the dunes, Matt shoots me a dirt look. "Some 'ally' that was."

"Everyone's allowed to be wrong once!" I shoot back.

"You're always wrong!" Matt accuses. I roll my eyes and turn back to the battle. We're in luck though. It seems that these weird Digimon are only interested in Agmon and Gabumon, who are having a field day trying to shoot them down. I shield my eyes from the sun. There has to be a weakness…

"Tai!"

Matt's voice is high above the carnage, calling my attention. I trace the line from his pointing finger to the target.

Black wires.

Connected at the bottom of each of the critters is a single thin black wire that runs all the way through the sands. My hand pulls my Digivice from my back pocket, a grimace on my face. "What are these things?"

"No idea." Says Matt pulling out his D-Terminal. "Readings say… huh…"

"Huh?" I frown.

Matt looks up at me, his eyes wide. "No info?"

I blink. "That's a new one. I thought the _Harmonious Ones_ had this thing programmed to instantly recognize base frame… or whatever Izzy said."

"Code."

"That."

Matt frowns. "Izzy says the wires may be causing interference with our sensors. I guess that includes the D-Terminal."

"But if we separate them from the wires they'll cease to function, right?" I realize with a smile. Regardless of how fast they are the creatures can only go so far before being tugged back down to earth again. I grit my teeth and turn to Agumon. "Ok! Agumon, aim for the wire!"

"You got it Tai!"

My partner races off after one of the attackers, teeth barred. It's companions shift their focus completely on him. Big mistake.

**_"Blue Blaster!"_**

A stream of scalding water nearly clips the side of one, who has to fly out of formation to avoid the blast. I guess they learned the hard way: never forget Gabumon. Matt tosses a fist in the air, and I grin. Point: good guys.

The lasers bear down on Gabumon - knocking him to the ground - and we're forced to keep our celebration short.

But Agumon is on it, rushing full speed through projectile fire with claws unsheathed. With a loud grunt he leaps after one of them, teeth flashing.

**_"Razor Claw!"_**

In an instant, Agumon's sharpened talons cut straight through the wire, setting the bug-shaped critter free. It squeals for a moment, the digital motors within it whirring as it comes unstuck from the ground. I flash my partner a thumbs up. "Great going bud-"

Agumon is thrown to the ground by laser fire. The freed robot bounces after him, engines whirring. The four remaining robots regroup, but not our friendly neighborhood spider shaped assassin. It rolls around erratically, bouncing like a crazed chipmunk.

**_"Pepper Breath!"_**

In the nick of time, Agumon's fire sends the rouge battle-bot skywards. My lizard friend returns to his feet. "What do we do now Tai! They just get crazier!" He howls at me.

"That didn't work out quite the way we planned." States Gabumon.

I duck when the bot fires at me. Matt is crawling behind an sand embankment beside us, and I'm tempted to do the same. My eyes however are frozen on the unloosed robot, the sound of his whirring, panicked sensors droning on over the laser fire of its brethren. I'm so caught up by the craziness of this monster that I fail to notice my partner being cornered in time to warn him. "Agumon look out!"

Before Agumon is ready for them, the four creatures still connected to their wires hover over him, their single eye glazed red. He looks up, bewildered, his claws reaching to hide his face.

I'm not sure how I was expecting things to go. But I do know how surprised I am when the unconnected bumblebee starts firing on its former companions.

Agumon dives for cover while the four robots still connected to the black wires scramble to dodge the heretic. Gabumon has recovered by now and pulls back as well. The four of us watch in confusion as the freed robot jolts about in the air firing at anything that moves.

"What is wrong with that thing?" I shout.

"Those wires must be how they think! Maybe it connects to a shared brain."

"And when we cut it things get retarded. Great." I rub the back of my neck. "Any bright ideas _plan-master_?"

Matt makes a face but doesn't respond to my taunts. Spoil sport. "If we slice the wires they become more erratic." He tells me quickly. "We'd have a harder time taking them out."

"There is a suggestion coming isn't there?"

"If we could get them all together without pulling their plugs first, we might be able to wrap this up." Matt decides. "We're going to need a lot more firepower though."

I wipe sweat from my forehead. Matt is right. "Gah, these guys are trouble."

"Tell me about it!" Matt shouts back. He then shoots me a quick look. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

I grin, holding my Digivice for him to see. "You read my mind. Agumon?"

"Okay!"

"Gabumon!" Matt calls.

"Hnn!"

"Digivolve!" We command as one.

Our Digivices shriek with the input of our energy, a reaction that triggers an awesome transformation in our partners. A ball of light envelopes Agumon into a energy field in the shape of an egg, whirring with power with each passing second. From within the field I can make our partners voices as they announce their transformation.

**_"Agumon Digivolve to…"_**

**_"Gabumon Digivolve to…"_**

I try not to flinch. Digivolution is always dramatic. To watch the process is like watching a car wreck. You're sick and disgusted – but you can't look away. You can only stare in fascinated horror as the skin from your friend pulls away to reveal wireframe. You can only watch in shock as he gains horns, spikes, armor. And you can only gaze in awe when the transformation is complete.

**"Greymon**."

He's not Agumon anymore. He's the size of large bus now, adorned with fangs and claws and demonic horns that jut out from the sides of his armored skull. His skin is hard and thick, striped blue down the spine and legs. Smoke pours out his nostrils, proof of the cauldron that resides within his Digicore. He's Greymon – King of the Monsters… at least as far as I'm concerned.

Beside him, Matt's partner has made a similar transformation. Gone is the bashful little lizard-mutt. In his place is perched a beast of great power and terror, blue-white fur dancing in the desert winds, with six feathery wings flowing from his spine. Every breath he takes is evidence of the cold-hearted chill that remains within. He growls, his transformation finished as well.

**"Garurumon."**

Our Digimon are Champions now – how Digimon distinguish from the youth of Rookie-hood to the maturity of adults. They're bigger, stronger, faster, and meaner than they were only seconds ago. And our enemy knows it. The four remaining robots float backwards, their lasers charged but not firing.

"They've stopped?" I look on incredulous.

"They're regrouping." Matt says. "Four against two rookies and the fight is in their favor. With two champions…"

I nod. "It's all on us. Got it."

For a few seconds all is still. The silence is broken however as the insects once more begin charging up their laser's in preparation for an attack. The robots finally advance, sweeping out in both directions trying to flank us. I grit my teeth.

"Here they come!"

"Brace yourselves!" Matt calls over the battle.

Garurumon dashes to the side, while Greymon takes a wide stance in front of us, opening his mouth to fire.

"**_Nova Bla_**- ah come on!" The assailants are out of his line of sight and behind him before he even has a chance to let loose with his Nova Blast. He grimaces as they blast his back with laser fire. "Quite movin' you little…"

**_"Howling Blaster!"_**

A torrent of super cold nitrous oxide blasts past the floating turrets, scattering them away from Greymon's skull. My partner shakes his head. "Thanks for the help." he grumbles, before getting hit below the eye by random fire from the still sputtering wireless assailant. "Ouch! That stings!"

Garurumon snarls, subconsciously looking to Matt for direction. "They're too fast for our attacks."

Greymon snarls and reaches for the unchained robot. It shoots to the left, but he's ready with a swipe of his tail. The creature goes sputtering like a foul ball into the dirt, bouncing across the sand. Greymon grins beneath his bony helmet. "Not fast enough to keep from a beatdown!"

Matt has a hand to his forehead. "Maybe we can slow them down." He then snaps his fingers when the light bulb goes off. "I've got it!" He declares, before explaining to me his plan. I grin when I hear it.

"That's an idea I can sink my teeth into!"

Greymon glares at me. "I don't like this…"

"You'll be fine." I tell him. "Let's do this."

Greymon sighs, but relaxes. He shoots the four attackers a look of defiance. "Bring it on freshies!"

The challenge works. The four focus on Greymon, who half-heartedly swipes at them with his claws. They're attacks don't do as much damage to his skin as they would have had he not digivolved, but I can tell from here that they're a little more than annoying. But just when it appears they have the upper hand, our plan comes into play.

**_"Howling Blaster!"_**

Garurumon fires from a strategic position away from Greymon, the force from his jaws cutting a swath through the air. He doesn't fire at the droids, but instead at their flank, forcing them to dodge away from the cold. And right into the waiting arms of a very pissed off Greymon.

"Gotcha!" Greymon shouts when he catches the wires at the stem. "Now Garurumon!"

**_"Howling Blaster!"_**

Garurumon again lets out a stream of hyper-cold liquid from deep inside his core. The wave arches above Greymon's head, washing over each of the bug-like robots. With no way to dodge, the creatures completely freeze over, their life signs diminishing as soon as the casing of ice surrounds them. With a grunt, Greymon snaps the metallic insects from their wiring and tosses them into the air. It's over.

**_"Nova Blast!"_**

Greymon lets out a huge ball of fire directly at the falling orbs. They explode on impact, breaking apart into bits and pieces of data and blowing off in the wind. I rise from my position on the ground with a grin plastered to my face. "Way to go guys!"

The battle itself felt like forever. It probably only took four minutes.

"Done and done." I declare as I rise from the ground. "Good work team."

"Things could have been a lot better." Matt grumbles behind me.

"They could have been worse too Matt-y." I tease him again. "Lighten up. We just survived an attack by some mysterious unknown Digimon and proved why we're the best. We should have a party."

Matt gives me a look. "Having literal idol worship isn't enough?"

A large drop of sweat rolls down my face. "Meh… forgot about that guy."

Garurumon approaches the lone survivor, the disconnected bumblebee of a robot who appears to be off-line. He nudges the creature with his nose, his topaz eyes glimmering in the sunlight. "Smells like Digichrome…"

"Scorched Digichrome!" Greymon grins beneath his armored helmet. "I frikkin' rock!"

Greymon and Garurumon lapse into another argument about who was superior during the fight. Matt approaches the wreckage carefully, his face furrowed in thought. "I didn't hear any battle calls. No attack codes…"

"No prerequisite bad guy monologues." I yawn.

He picks up the remaining assailant, hefting it in his hands and looking over it carefully. "I don't think they're real Digimon." He decides. "I don't even think they're sentient."

Garurumon snorts. "Well if they're not Digimon, what are they?"

"Leftover dark spires?" Greymon suggests.

"I don't know." Matt concedes. "Whatever they are, they don't act like standard Digimon."

He looks into the little robots eye. It starts glowing.

Matt lets go of the critter just as if fires a laser blast into the air, narrowly missing my blonde comrade. Garurumon pounces on the orb in moments; his heavy paws slamming into the robot again and again. Greymon and I rush over as quickly as we can. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah." Matt breaths deeply. "That was a close one."

"Well, at least we know they're delete-able." Greymon muses. He nods towards Garurumon, who even now is watching data flow through his paws as the last of our attackers dissipates into nothingness.

I place a hand on my chin in thought. "If the science team ran into them on their journey…"

"Let's not jump to conclusions." Matt advises as he dusts himself off. "We were attacked. But that still doesn't tell us what happened to the research team. For all we know this attack could have nothing to do with them."

"And to think." I say as I approach the wires still extended from the ground. "All that trouble over a couple of cables." I reach in for a closer look.

"Don't touch that!"

Matts sharp voice halts me in my tracks. "What? I was just gonna check it out."

"That may have been a fatal mistake. Remember what Mina said?"

I frown, realization washing through my brain. "Everyone who dealt with these things ended up in a coma."

Matt nods. "None of them has woken back up."

My eyes furrow in confusion. I glare at the wires, which even now have begun slithering back underground. "…What the hell are we dealing with?"

Before Matt can respond, we hear a sudden shrill cross the hilltops. We stop what we are doing to try and register what we've heard. I frown. "What was that?"

"Who was that?" Matt corrects me. "That was human by the sound of it."

Immediately, I jog in the direction of the scream. "C'mon, we need to go after it."

"Wait Tai!" Matt shouts as he catches me by the arm.

I turn to face him. "What?"

"We can't just run willy-nilly up the hill." He warns me. "It could be a trap."

"Or it could be a new ally who needs our help." I remind him. "Come on Matt. Do you wanna live forever?"

He rolls his eyes, but I know he'll follow. "C'mon Garurumon."

I reach up for Greymon. He leans over and I climb up to the base of his neck, patting Greymon on the skull when I've comfortably seated myself. He grunts, rising into the air. By now Matt has mounted Garurumon as well. Satisfied, the four of us trek up the dune where the figure first appeared. We reach its peak in no time, the four of us looking over the gap to find: "Nothing."

Matt frowns. "Whoever that was did not want to be seen."

I frown. It's a quiet, deserted looking place, full of dust and damages and bad decisions. Slim pillars shoot straight up everywhere, while the walls are covered in dead vines; cracked and shattered in places across the whole building. There was once a large statue here, though it's long sense been distorted by winds and sands and probably missle damage from some unknown battle that took place. Nothing about this place should be interesting to me. Even so…

Something's wrong.

The cold feeling that I usually get when something bad happens shoots up my spine and makes my hairs stand on end. This place… Something about this place makes me feel like hell.

Ruins scatter the Digiworld like leaves in autumn. Each one unique, with its own story to tell. I shouldn't be feeling this way for just another set of ruins. Each wall, each dust covered floor… I feel as though I've walked in them. A wicked sense of déjà vu almost. Like I've been here before, and paid dearly for coming. I wrap my fingers around the Digivice strapped to my belt.

"You okay?"

Ever perceptive, Matt gives me a frown that lets me know he's worried. I shake the feeling. "How did we find this place?"

"Well let's see. You decided to ignore our carefully made out plan…"

"Enough with the plan Matt, sheesh. You're like a broken record."

Matt smiles a little, but his worry hasn't left his eyes yet. "Even so, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." I admit, finally. "Just a nasty feeling of Déjà vu."

"Don't know about that." Greymon grunts. "This place is giving me the creeps though."

"Me too." Matt acknowledges. "Any sign of our friend?"

"Not from where I can see." Answers Garurumon.

"Where did he go?" I ask.

"Don't know." Answers Garurumon. "I don't smell anything."

"Me either." Grumbles Greymon. "Just the same metal smell that came from the robot."

"…I still smell that too." Garurumon snarls.

Matt and I share a glance. Things are quiet. Too quiet. "Stay sharp everybody." I whisper. For a moment we don't move.

Suddenly there is another scream, louder than before. Greymon growls beneath me. "Tai, look! Someone's being chased!"

He points a few meters down the hill. A small feminine figure, barely visible, is seen running for its life. Behind it, fly more of the same kind of creature we dealt with earlier: flying metallic bumblebee looking monsters with lasers for eyes. There are ten of them this time floating in and out of formation after her. They fire at the feet of the figure, who can't possibly hope to out run them forever.

A blast from one of the assailants knocks the figure to the ground. We can't tell a whole lot about her, but a few details are clear. She's definitely humanoid, with no traces of fur, scales, claws, or any other assorted animal parts some perverted fur-fan might be into. It's hard to tell more though. She's covered in what appears to be the robes of a monk, her face hidden from us by a long hood. We can see a little though. She appears to be our age: nineteen to twenty, though these days it's hard to be definitive. And she is scared out of her mind. "Definitely not a Digimon." Matt muses from his perch.

Greymon gasps. "It's human!"

I spit. "Anyway, we've got to save her."

Greymon growls as he trots forward. "I'm on it!"

We're off to the races then, Greymon rushing forwards at full speed. Behind me I hear Matt cry out in alarm. "Tai!"

"We don't have time!" I shoot back. "We have to save her."

"I'm behind you! Just-"

He shuts up and gazes skywards, his skin turning pale. I follow suit. "Oh boy."

Five of the attack 'bots have veered away from their prey and are making a beeline towards us. Matt gives me a quick glance. "Same as before?"

I nod. "Understood. Greymon?"

My partner is about to charge into them, when the the drones fly upwards. It's only when their red eyes are glaring at me that I realize that their tactics have changed. They unleash a quick volley at the base of Greymon's skull, and try as he might there isn't much he can do to defend himself and me. I'm tossed from the back of his neck by the recoil, bouncing down my partners spine and landing with a thump in the warm desert sand. Everything goes black for half a second.

"Tai!"

I can hardly hear my partner's worried cry. But I do hear it, which is a good sign. I shake the cobwebs from my head and struggle to my feet. "I'm alright!"

Garurumon kneels to allow Matt to dismount safely. "Best to let us handle it."

He nods. "Understood! Go get 'im!"

I struggle to my feet, dizzy, but nothing feels broken. Matt is by me now, and the two of us watch as our champions charge back into battle. As fast and annoying as these drones are, they still aren't as intelligent.

"C'mere you annoying little parasites!" Greymon roars as he chases through their laser fire after the connecting wires. Garurumon's Howling Blaster again is used to herd the brainless automatons into my dragons reach, and soon his claws again surround the black wire. "Now Garurumon!"

**_"Howling Blaster!"_**

**_"Nova Blast!"_**

The second wave lights up the sky in a fiery explosion, the black wires falling lifelessly from Greymons arms. The destruction of their wing mates has brought the attention of the other drones away from their helpless prey and directed towards us. "This is the last batch." I remind our partners. "Let's show 'em what we're made of!"

"One more time eh Greymon?" Garurumon grins, his fangs barred.

"Unn…" Greymon acknowledges, rising to his full height. "Why don't you stupid robots pick on someone _twice_ your size!"

The insect-like robots buzz away from the downed figure, who stares at us from beneath her hooded cloack. Greymon flails his claws about to 'attack' them, while Garurumon continues to herd them closer and closer. This isn't even a real fight anymore. I dust myself off, feeling much better. This mission has just become a game of rinse and repeat. Man these things are dumb.

"I got 'em!" Greymon announces once his claws surround all five remaining black wires. "Easy as-"

And then he looks up.

"-Pie?"

We all stare in shock and horror as the five remaining orbs glow with a familiar light. Suddenly their outer shells explode outwards, five wireframes that no longer seem individual. Greymon lets go of the wires, but it may already be too late. The black coils have begun to wrap around themselves as well, twisting all the way to the ground.

Greymon blinks. "Crap."

The parts have merged into one giant humanoid machine: hoisted into the air by mechanical wings and connected at its tail by the same snake like wires running to the ground. It's grown long, green arms from the side of the middle orb; extending the length of it's body and ending in three flat fingers. It looks like a poor excuse for a Gundam villain, three orbs making up it's body, with a single, menacing eye attached at the top. It's this red iris that focuses solely on us, glowing crimson with building energy. Greymon and Garurumon take defensive positions in front of the three of us, bracing themselves for the worst.

I blink in shock. "Did they just DNA digivolve?"

"Without DNA?" Matt shakes his head in shock.

Greymon and Garurumon have no desire to find out. Both of their mouths open with energy flowing through their core.

**_"Nova Blast!"_**

**_"Howling Blaster!"_**

The giant mecha dodges, easily. Before our partners can fire again, the robots central iris glows red again, but the charge is longer than before. Matt stares for a moment, before his expression becomes panicked. "Get out of the way!"

As if on cue, the robot fires off a shot that had to be seen to be believed. Greymon and Garurumon barely leap away in time to avoid the massive blast that races across the desert sands, leaving a sheet of glass in its wake. Matt and I have to cover our faces to keep the wind from slicing through our eyes. Then everything gets quiet.

Greymon stares at the path of glass in awe. "Hack me…"

"I don't think the plans gonna work this time." Garurumon concedes.

Matt frowns. "We need to thin-"

He doesn't get the time to finish that thought. The green tendrils that form his 'fingers' shoot out and catch Greymon by his antlers. In a second my partner is on his stomach, forced to the ground after losing the battle against android force and digital gravity. Garurumon charges at full speed, only to be swatted away carelessly by a robotic back hand. I feel my pulse quicken. "What is this thing?"

Greymon struggles to his feet as the giant mecha approaches him, it's single red eye glowing again. I scream, but it's no use. If Greymon doesn't dodge that beam he's a gonner for sure. The mecha approaches, with the end in sight…

When suddenly a rock shoots out of nowhere and clinks off the robots head.

The being turns and faces the figure who stands with several rocks in her hands, suddenly looking less than confident. I blink. She stayed. The robot hurtles towards her, red eye flashing. In a moment she's on top of her, the orbs that make up his ribs swirling around one their axis. It's only a moments distraction. But that was all the time we needed.

**_"Horn Impulse!"_**

Greymon leaps from his feet; his body shooting forwards like a rocket, colliding with the giant robot. Garurumon pounces on the figure, catching it by the cloak and leaping out of harm's way. The robot tries to aim its laser in their direction, but Greymon is ready this time. His razor sharp claws peirce right through the iris, rendering it useless. The Mecha tries to brush him away but Greymon catches. With a grunt, his powerful arm rips the robots limb from its socket, sending sparks flying across the desert floor. It shrieks and brings its head forward, ramming Greymon's skull and staggering my partner.

Garurumon snarls, placing the figure gently to the sand and trotting back into the battle. We rush over to its side, while our wolf charges into the mix. The one-armed mecha swings at him, but he's too fast, ducking beneath the swinging blade and catching hold of a leg with his teeth.

**_"Subzero Ice Fang!"_**

Garurumon's gums turn blue as the temperature in his jaws drops well below freezing. Ice begins covering the leg of our enemy, freezing it to the ground. The robot shrieks again, bringing the butt of it's remaining arm into Garurumon's body and tossing him in the air. He lands with a thump, but rolls back to his paws in no time, his teeth bared. The robot takes a step forward – and that's all he can do. Its head swivels quickly to its leg, quickly realizing that Garurumon's _Subzero Ice Fang_ is no joke.

"He's stuck!" Matt shouts to me.

I grin. "No problem. Greymon!"

My partner's eyes go feral. Steam pours from his nostril, as he prepares to unleash his rarest attack.

**_"Nova Flame!"_**

Greymons jaw drops, and a stream of pure white fire blasts from his maw with full force. I can feel the heat from here. The flame tears through the humanoid robot, breaking through it's armor and setting the monster ablaze. It shrieks one final time, before it's data explodes outwards, bits and pieces raining and dissipating into the sands of Server. I raise my hand in victory. Crisis averted: score one for the good guys.

"That was too close a call." Matt says as he approaches, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What are you complaining about?" I ask. "We won."

"It would have gone by smoother if we had a-"

"If you say 'plan', I swear Matt I'm gonna…"

I trail off. Matt isn't paying me any attention. I follow his gaze to understand why. The figure stands, staring. Her hood hides much of her face in this light, but her skin is clear and tanned. She stands there nervously; her breathing is visible to both of us from here. Matt and I share a look, and we step forward.

"Yo, I'm Tai. And this is-"

A yelp, and she's already running away from us.

Matt gives me a glance, and we chase after.

"Hold on!"

"Hey! We're talking to you!"

She doesn't respond, running hard for the dune opposite us. She's fit. Definitely athletic. She's making good time up the dunes, despite the loose sand and her old worn out sandals. Matt is losing steam behind me, but I press on, catching up to her. "Just hold on a second!"

She reaches the top of the hill and is met face to face with Garurumon, who circumvented us all. She screams and slips, tumbling down the dune towards me. I don't have long to brace myself before she's crashed into me. We both go tumbling down the dunes, past Matt and landing at the base with a thump. She scrambles off me, but by then Matt is by us as well. Greymon lumbers into view, and Garurumon remains perched at the top of the dune. There's nowhere left to run.

"Hey, hey. We aren't gonna hurt you. Okay?" Matt tries to reason with the girl. "We're here to help."

She clutches the hood down, trying to hide her face.

"We're here to help you." I repeat slowly as I dust myself off. "Trust us."

She holds herself stiff, clearly not pleased at being caught. Still, she doesn't turn to attack, waiting patiently for us to come closer. We're only inches from her when Matt finally asks the question on both our minds. "Who are you?"

She turns to us and pulls back her cloak. My jaw drops.

She looks just like her in this light. There are plenty of differences, yes. Her hair's too long. Her skin's too dark. Her figure is thinner and stiffer. But her eyes are the sweetest shade of hazel brown, just like _hers_: clear and sharp and beautiful. My heart skips a beat.

She looks just like Sora.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**3**

**Digimon**


	4. Chapter 4

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 4

* * *

She looks just like my girlfriend.

Which is making me nervous; to tell you the truth.

A warm breeze crosses over the desert, the sands shifting around our feet. None of us are moving: each one of us gazing at the other in shock trying to collect ourselves. For her part the girl is silent; still standing stiff from the discovery and looking none too pleased about it; though the expression appears to be melting some. Her hair – almost orange in this light – dances across the fabric of her robe while her curious hazelnut eyes burn through Tai's skull.

Tai nervously stares back, shooting concerned glances between me and the girl in rapid succession. He's just as flummoxed as I am, I guess. Garurumon and Greymon stay their ground, both Digimon curiously looking on. As for me, there's a sinking feeling in my gut that something terrible is going to happen. There's no denying the feeling either: my bloodstream has run cold.

Before any of us knows what to do the girl reaches out with both hands and pokes Tai in the cheeks. Then the forehead. Then the chin. Her hands move quickly across my friends face. Tai doesn't move: either from shock or annoyance, I can't tell. Eventually however the girl-who-looks-like-_my_-girl finishes her finger powered poking assault and sets her arms at her side. Her head twists back and forth between Tai and me, the confusion never leaving her face. "A-are you… human?"

Tai blinks. "Eh?"

He looks to me, like I'm supposed to know how to respond to that kind of question. I shrug helplessly. Tai shoots me a look of annoyance before reaching for the back of his head. "Uh…Yeah?"

Before we know what happened she's thrown her arms around him and squeezes, hard. Her face is a wash of tears and joy. "Humans! Thank God! You're the first I've seen since I woke up!"

Steam, literally, pours from Tai's collar.

The girl, who only moments before ran from us and only seriously questioned who we were when cornered, skips happily around Tai, mouth running a mile a minute about how happy she is to see another human being. Tai's face is in a bewildering state of confusion; his mouth a half-smile, half-gasp expression that leaves him looking a mess. He's blushing like crazy.

Greymon grunts to me, clearly not impressed. "Why does Tai look like he's broken?"

I don't answer him. I have an idea. I don't like it.

"W-wah… Eh… G-glad to see you're alright…" Tai finally sputters.

"Do you know where we are?" She catches hold of the end of his shirt and grips for dear life, extremely familiar with Tai after only a few short minutes.

He blinks, his face a slight shade of crimson. "Y-you don't?"

"Nn… Not really. I know this isn't my world but I don't know where…"

"This is the Digiworld," I answer for her, folding my arms across my chest. "Specifically the continent of Server."

"Server!" She clasps her hands together, eyes wide in joyous surprise. "That's right! That's the name! I remember it! Before they attacked me I was trying to figure out where I'd landed."

I blink, curious. "Landed?"

She nods emphatically, clasping her hands together. "That's the only way I can describe it. I remember a falling sensation and then I remember looking up at the sky. Before I had a chance to figure it out they attacked me."

Tai raises an eyebrow. "They? Oh, you mean those killer robots."

I blink. "So you know about Digimon then?"

She nods again, her face giving off a curious expression. "Yes! Well… a little. I know those ones are bad news. They've been hunting me for days."

Garurumon blinks. "Days? You've been out here for _days_?"

She nods, sadly this time. "They haven't given me much chance to rest."

"What are those things anyway?" Greymon rumbles.

"I don't know," the girl says, pulling a strand of ginger hair away from her eye. "I started calling them all Gizmon after a while."

"Gizmon?"

"_The Gizmo Monster_." She smiles proudly at her accomplishment. Tai smiles with her. I roll my eyes.

"Whatever they are, they're dangerous," Garurumon huffs.

"Meh." Greymon yawns. "Nothing the Digidestined can't handle."

She blinks, taking a shocked step backwards. Tai raises an eyebrow. "Nn? What is it?"

"You're… Digidestined?"

Tai grins. "Oh? You know us?"

She nods feverously. "I think so… I know of you anyway."

"How?" I frown. "Are you a Tamer?"

"Hnn?"

"Where's your partner?"

She blinks. "Partner…"

"Just how many days have you been here?"

"I… Um…"

I feel a hand on my shoulder before I can continue. Tai is giving me a sympathetic look. "Ease up Matt. Poor thing's had a rough ordeal."

My frown grows deeper. "I'm just asking her a few questions-"

"You're border line interrogating her. She's the victim here." Tai reminds me. I sigh. He's probably right.

"Sorry," I back off, and Tai nods in satisfaction.

"I'm Taichi Kamiya, and this is Yamato Ishida."

"But our friends call us Tai and Matt, respectively," I nod.

Her eyes widen, as if remembering some half dead name in the back of her mind. "You're…"

"Digidestined. That's right."

"Well, two of them." Tai grins.

"This is Garurumon." I point to my wolf.

"Nice to meet ya." He rumbles respectfully.

Tai shoots a thumb towards his dragon. "That's my partner Greymon."

Greymon snorts smoke. "Hmn…"

Tai shoots a glare at his partner for being rude, and Greymon just shrugs. I clear my throat. "I'll start from the beginning. Are you a tamer?"

She nods once, brushing her wind tossed hair away from her eyes. "I think so. I'm not sure what happened, but I remember having a partner."

"So you _are_ a Tamer," I remark. "Do you remember where your partner is?"

"I'm not sure where." She shakes her head in frustration. "All I know is they have her."

"They?"

"The Gizmon. I… I don't remember much. But I remember they got her. They're holding her prisoner somewhere. In a crypt or something; I… I'm not sure."

My eyes furrow. "I thought you fell here."

"That's the first thing I _know_ I remember. Waking up in the middle of the desert. Everything else is… Harder."

Something about the way she says that worries me. I continue cautiously. "Maybe you were with the research team?"

"Maybe. My memory is vague. I remember there were a lot of us."

"Part of the armed Tamer guard?" I muse openly.

Tai shrugs. "It's the only thing that fits right now."

I sigh. The problem is that it isn't a tight fit. She's being too vague – for what reasons, I don't know. I decide to get more personal. "Where are you from?"

She frowns in thought. Then suddenly, her face brightens like a light bulb. "Have you heard of the city of Odaiba," she finally asks us.

I frown. "Sorta…"

"That area," sheanswers. Her face then contorts again, as if suddenly second guessing the question. "I think."

My frown deepens. "There is n-"

Tai cuts me off before I can finish, a surprised smile on his face. "Really? So are we!"

I frown. His excitement is nauseating. "What do you mean 'you think'? You keep saying that."

"I… Things are spinning in my head. It's like I'm dreaming but I can't wake up. I remember… but I don't."

"That sucks." Says Tai. And I nod in agreement.

The girl is shivering, despite the heat, and I know there is a deeper inner struggle going on that she's been able to push aside before reestablishing human contact. I clear my throat, preparing to ask one more question of our new ally. I think I know the answer already, but still… I have to ask. "What's your name?"

Her pretty brown eyes are sparkling through coming tears. "I… I don't know."

Saying out loud must have triggered something inside of her, for her body begins to shake in the heat. I frown sympathetically. "You don't know?"

She shakes her head again, trying to hold it together. I'm not sure it's working. "I… I woke up one day in the desert and I didn't know who I was… I don't know."

Tai and I share a look. There are a lot of possibilities for why a '_Tamer'_ would lose her memories. None of them are all that great. It could be that she was defeated by an enemy Digimon with memory wipe capabilities. Izzy's dealt with monsters like that before. It could be she's suffering from some kind of _hardware malfunction_: likely blunt trauma to the skull just before her descent to the Digital plane. Or it could be she's a bold faced liar.

I glance at her: this nameless girl form the desert. At least she looks honest. Among other things. I clear my throat again. "Can you… explain what you're remembering?"

She fidgets in the sand, the wind kicking up dust around her. "My memories are in and out. Sometimes I'll… I'll remember something about me that's real. And then I'll think I remember something but its half imaginary. Like… I'm dreaming everything." She frowns, bringing a hand to her head to massage the oncoming headache. "I'm not even sure any of this is real."

"Technically it's not real. It's all Digital." Greymon scoffs. A look from Tai and myself shuts him up. "But, eh, I get it. Sorry."

"We're real," I tell her. "We're not sure where you came from but we're definitely real. You don't have to worry about that."

"Thanks," she says. But she doesn't sound too convinced.

"So what should we call you?"

She shifts her focus to Tai, who faces her with a warm smile. "Um… I don't know. I… I don't even know what to call myself."

"I know that," he says. "But calling you 'hey girly' or 'sweetheart' or 'cutie' would get old fast wouldn't it? We'll have to name you something eventually." He puts a hand to his chin in thought. "Let's see…"

I raise my hand to shield my face from the wind. "Maybe we should do this at another time?"

"How 'bout Ginger?" He exclaims while ignoring me. "You know, for your hair."

She blinks and tugs at her auburn hair, pondering. "Ginger," she frowns. It doesn't sound promising.

"I'm not sure we should be doing this right now." I weather. "Besides, she doesn't even look like a Ginger."

Tai makes a face at me. "Oh? You know all about names do you?"

I shrug. "I'm just saying Ginger is too European for her. She'd need something prettier."

"Prettier, neh?" Tai grins at me, and I can't help but blush in anger.

"I mean… ah, what's the use." I sigh and turn to the girl. "Don't mind him. Tai can be a little-"

"How about _Lora_!"

I flinch and whirl in his direction. "What!"

He's grinning. "That's close, huh?"

"Tai…"

"What about _Nora_?"

"Nn…"

"_Angora_?"

"Knock it off!" I fume, and Tai laughs. I know he's teasing but I'm not sure this is the time to be joking around.

"The girl frowns. "What's going on?"

We glare at each other briefly - me with a frown, Tai with a grin – before Tai responds to her. "Nn… Nothing. I'm teasing. It's just you remind us an awful lot of a friend of ours…"

Her eyes shoot wide. She grabs a handful of his jacket and tugs at him, her voice raspy and desperate. "A friend! _Could I be her_? Maybe you know me Tai? Matt!"

His hands are up in a moment and his face is apologetic. "Hold on, hold on! Take it easy."

I shoot Tai a worried look and he sighs. I nod. "You're not her," I tell her simply. "I left her in the Real World an hour few hours ago. We don't know who you are."

She blinks, her fingers slowly letting go of Tai. "The real world…"

Everything get's quiet for a moment, with only the rustling wind to provide the soundtrack for this moment. She glares at us, frustrated, before he eyes fall to the ground in defeat. Her arms drop to her side, her moment of hope dashed before it even had a chance to blossom. I sigh. "Listen, we-"

"What's her name?"

I flinch. "Eh… Sora."

"So-rah…"

The look on her face… It's like she's measuring every syllable, trying to remember each line of kanji to spell out the name of the sky.

"Isn't that a boys name?"

I feel like crashing to the floor. She looks at me in a disaffected sort of gaze. "It's generic," I attempt to defend the absent Sora. Unfortunately I can't help the blush rushing to my face, and I can only imagine the look my girlfriend would have given her (after the look of startled confusion of seeing herself in 'flesh' of course).

Tai however, is laughing his head off. "I told her that once," he says between giggles. "When we were little. She punched me in the stomach and wouldn't speak to me for a week."

"Serves you right." Garurumon snorts.

The girl's eyes turn on Tai, oddly heated, and he stops laughing. The silence descends again, before the girl turns her pretty brown eyes skywards. As if somewhere up there lay the key to solving the mysteries of her life. "So I'm not Sora."

"Nn… No."

"I don't have anything."

Silence again, only it's colder than before. Her fists are clenched tightly beneath the sleeves of the robe, the wind kicking up dust at her feet as she struggles within herself. It appears that she truly doesn't remember a thing about her past, which is a harrowing feeling I hope to never experience.

Tai attempts to bring back the levity. "So… How about… Red? That's better than Ginger, right?

She wraps her arms around herself. "I don't want to play this game anymore."

"Mnn?"

"You two…" She glares at us, tears forming at the edge of her pretty brown eyes. "You know so much about this world right? You're Digidestined… right? You have to know who I am! Tamers don't become Tamers without your help. Just… just tell me who I am! If you know, please…"

And she breaks. Then and there. She collapses to the sand in a heap of tears, uselessly fighting back sobs against the desert sand. "I don't remember. I don't remember my own name!" She brings her hands to the side of her face. "I… I don't…"

"Ah crap," Greymon grumbles nervously. "She turned on the waterworks…"

Tai shushes his partner. I sigh. "It's alright."

"It's not alright! I… I had a life before. I had friends. I… Oh gods I had a family somewhere! I had a partner. A purpose. And I failed them all. I… I can't even remember a single face. Not a single one till yours. I don't even have a name! I'm a… I'm a zero."

She repeats that. _Zero_: over and over again as if the word will sprout winds and take her away. When it doesn't, she can only put her head in her hands.

"…Rei!" Tai blurts out.

She blinks in shock, streams of water and salt still pouring down her face. "Hmn?"

_"Go. Shii. San. Nii. Ichi. Rei."_

"I don't…"

"You called yourself zero, huh? Zero is Rei. Hows that?"

"Eh?"

"It's a name... Until we find your real one."

I frown. "Don't you think that's a bit mean? Calling her a zero till you find her real name?"

"Wah! It's a girls name too…" Tai pouts in disappointment. "I thought it was cute."

"Cute!" I exclaim.

"Cute?" She blushes.

"Cute…" Glares Greymon

Garurumon ignores us all.

"Jerks." Tai makes a face before turning back to the girl. "If you don't like it I'll think of another one. But I think it's a good name for you for now! Please don't cry anymore."

Her face is awash with color, and we both understand what Tai is doing now. "A… a name?" She whispers as if it is the only thing she's ever wanted.

He nods, his grin growing wider. "Yeah! It would be cool too. My full name is Ta-i-chi. Second part of my name means _one_, see? _Ichi_. We can be zero and one together, yeah?"

Her blush widens. "Together?"

"Rei and Ta-i-chi." He nods again.

"Rei?"

"Mmm!"

I blink and turn to my side. The grin on Tai's face is the widest I've seen it in some time. I'm a little concerned. I turn back to the girl, whose own face is the image of puzzlement. But the panic and despair; it's all gone now, wiped away by the persistent grin of my best friend. Eventually, the girl smiles and nods at him with an accepting glance.

"Rei." She decides.

"As good a name as any." Greymon grumbles behind me. So he's picked up on it too…

Tai's face is flush with determination, the growing wind rustling his unkempt hair. He extends a hand to the seated girl, who looks up at him in wonder. "We'll find your real name _Rei_. And everything that goes with it. I promise you that."

Her face shifts from sadness to hope in a matter of seconds. Her hair is swirling in the wind, bright strands dancing in the sunlight. She's beautiful… She squeezes Tai's hands, a smile creeping back onto her cracked lips. "…Okay." She nods.

I go to say something, but a gust of wind suddenly threatens to blow me over. I brace myself, turning towards the winds direction. "The wind is picking up."

"A sandstorm is coming." Garurumon nods. "Big one."

Tai helps the girl back to her feet, and together we turn to face the wind. In the distance, we see dark clouds rising from the horizon, and a wave of sand headed towards us at unknown speeds. We've been caught in sandstorms before. It's never been a fun experience. Tai looks to the horizon, a bead of sweat falling to the ground. "It's still a ways off. How long do you think?"

I shrug, worried. "Not long. Maybe half an hour."

"We'll have to find shelter. Quick!"

The girl blinks, unconsciously shifting towards Tai. "There's a camp not far from here! I… Remember staying there… when I was running. There's a sturdy tent and some food."

Greymon blinks. "A camp?"

I make a face. "That's rather convenient. Where is it?"

"Just over that hill! Maybe a kilometer and a half? I can take you."

"Now there's a plan." Tai smiles at her.

I shift my focus from Tai to the girl. She stands nervously waiting for an answer. I turn back to the coming storm. The winds are picking up heavily now. I frown and squint as I see the coming clouds. We don't have a lot of choice. "Lead the way." I tell her.

We leave from the dunes a moment later, remembering to retrieve the briefcase with Izzy's monstrous telephone from the sands where we dropped it. We're making decent time against the wind at our backs, out running it by a few paces… for now. Tai and Greymon make up the rear, the dinosaurs long stride keeping time with us. We've left responsibility to holding the briefcase to him (he tried to argue about it, but Tai put his foot down and told him this was punishment for being rude. Greymon's been puffing smoke since). Garurumon gallops ahead, keen eyes pointed forwards in the direction we've been told. I hold tight to my partners' fur. And the girl holds tight to me.

She's not Sora. This girl's voice is harder than hers, rough from overuse and quite a bit lower. She's almost bone thin, borderline malnourished, but definitely fit enough that I can see her strength beneath the robe. Her hair is longer, coming up just below her shoulder blades and split at the ends – clearly not up to date with modern hair care. She has scars across her hands, little reminders of some not so pleasant thing she must have gone through before she got to the desert. She is not the same girl. She is not Sora.

But she looks _so close_.

They could be sisters, so familiar are their faces. It's kind of driving me nuts. I hazard a glance behind me, past the girl and up the image of Greymon. Tai Kamiya sits at the base of his partners' neck, idly grinning from ear to ear when he notices me. _How is this not getting to him?_

"Um…" The girls voice dilutes my thoughts. "Matt? Are you okay?"

I blink, and realize that the girl is looking at me. "Nn… I'm fine."

"Is something wrong?"

"Eh… No. It's alright."

I turn away and hope she doesn't notice how bad a liar I am. She doesn't say anything for awhile. I don't think she believes me. I sigh and hold tighter to Garurumon's fur. The wind is blowing harder; it's bad enough now that I can see whole rivers of sand shifting around me.

The girl leans her forehead into my back. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I don't mean to be a burden."

I could barely hear her over the wind. But I heard her. "You're not…" I tell her. "You may actually help us in the long run. We're looking for a research team. Maybe this camp you found is theirs."

"But it was empty when I found it."

"If the camp is theirs, then there'll be clues to find them. Guaranteed."

"…But what if you're wrong?" She grips tighter to my shirt.

"Don't worry about it," comes a voice behind us over the wind. I look back to see Tai grinning at us. "We'll take care of everything Rei! Don't you sweat it!"

She turns him, her hands still around my waist. I don't see her face in this moment, but I know she's smiling. "Thank you."

I stay silent, my hips settled across the back of my partner as he gallops across the desert sands. I'm not sure what's going on between the two of them. But something is definitely going on. And for some reason I don't like it. In the past hour there's been nothing but shy looks, nigh-flirtation and unearned familiarity between the two of them, causing me to wonder why.

_Does she love him?_

No. It's too early for that... Way too early. But she definitely likes him. Far more than she likes me. Not that I'm jealous. I'm not. I'm in an incredibly solid monogamous relationship, and I'm happy with it. Sora's all I'll ever need. But that's just the thing isn't it?

_She looks just like…_

The wings on Garurumon's back suddenly stand at attention. I frown, leaning closer to my partner and trying to figure out why. "Garurumon?"

"Trouble," is all he says.

I don't have time to ask. Another formation of '_Gizmon'_ erupt from the sands around us, their laser fire coming close to hitting their mark. "Hold on!" I shout back at the girl. She leans into my back and hugs as tight as possible. I can hardly breathe.

"Here we go again," comes Greymon's loud roar.

"Nothing we haven't seen before!" Tai shouts above the wind. I know he's smiling.

"Tai," I turn. "We can't stop now. The storm…"

He looks behind him. The dark clouds are close now. He grits his teeth. "Aw man. C'mon Greymon."

"You mean ya want me to run without fighting back?"

"I don't like it either buddy, but we've got to get out of this storm before its bad!"

I hear Greymon grunt behind me. "Fine."

We keep moving as the buzzing robots keep firing. Their lasers strike Garurumon in the sides every now and again, but he grunts and rushes forward. Greymon has more trouble, stopping every so often to swat at these mechanical flies with the breifcase before getting an earful from Tai and grumbling back to speed to keep up. It's about a minute into the attack that I begin to notice: they're not trying to kill us. They're only trying to stop us; their aim is calculated to slow and disorient our partners, and their laser fire is nowhere near as deadly as it had been.

_They're after the girl_, I realize. _They're after Rei_.

"Over that hill," she shouts, and I'm in no position to question her.

The wind is so hard now it's picking up pellets. As we near the hill their fire becomes more concentrated and focused, as if they didn't want us crossing that hill. That's fine. They're just giving us more incentive to try.

"We're almost there!"

Garurumon grunts, taking two more bounding steps before leaping across the hill and through to the other side. I turn to keep an eye on our attackers. I'm left uneasy at what I find. Till that point the insects had been unrelenting in their pursuit.

And then they just stopped.

I look over my shoulder as Garurumon trots ahead. Greymon has just passed by them with Tai in tow. They don't even try to stop him. They hover in a straight line, their wires quivering against the harrowing winds. I squint, "what is going on?"

"I don't think we've got time to find out!" Garurumon shouts beneath me.

I glance to Tai, who nods. "We'll have to figure it out later. C'mon!"

I nod back and spur Garurumon onwards, with Greymon and Tai keeping time behind me. The Gizmon don't follow, their red eyes slowly disappearing with every meter Garurumon crosses. Until we no longer see them behind us.

"There," the girl points in front of me, frail fingers leading me onwards. "That's it!"

In the distance, we see the shape of a large encampment quickly approaching on the horizon. I frown and spurn Garurumon onwards; hoping to reach the site before there is another attack or the sands become so unbearable that I lose my mind. When we finally make it, I have to take a second to pull my jaw from the floor.

When she told us of a campsite, my thoughts imagined a few sparse tents with clear lookout posts and residue of a fire. What we've stumbled on instead is almost military in scope. There are several large tents, strategically placed in the hollow of a wind-worn mountainside. Huge crates with unknown contents are stacked high in several places, and there are four lookout posts situated at each corner of the encampment. Forget a campsite, these people set themselves up with a fort.

Not well enough it seems. The three of us slow our approach to the site and take a look around. The ground has all the markings of battle, scorched sand, torn fabric, and the smell of digital carbon. There was a fight here not long ago. And there was a definitive winner and loser. Whatever used to be here isn't here anymore.

I grip my Digivice. The _winner_ could come back at any moment.

"Matt," cries the Digidestined of courage over the growing winds. "Look"

Tai points at a symbol, etched in English and Japanese Kanji, plastered on the side of nearly every tent. He's frowning.

_MAGAMI Corp._

I sigh. "Well, at least we know they made it this far."

"Are they who you were looking for?" Rei asks with trepidation.

I nod. "Uh-huh. This is them."

She doesn't ask further, though she does cling tighter to my shirt.

We slow our approach, even as the wind becomes an uncomfortable pressure on our backs. Aside from the battle scars the site appears to be perfectly intact. As if everyone just dropped what they were doing and disappeared into thin air. There is something about this ghost-site that leaves me…chilled.

Tai scratches his head. "Anyone still here?"

Greymon shakes his crown, "I don't smell anyone else. Just us."

Garurumon frowns. "It looks deserted."

We fight against the wind and approach what appears to be the main tent: a large canopy the size of an elephant tent at the circus. The girl points it out to us first. "This is it," she says. "This is where I spent my first nights on the run."

"How long ago was that?" I ask while dismounting.

"Two… maybe three days ago?"

Tai frowns. "Has it always been this empty?"

She shrugs. "I didn't think about it at first. I was just glad for rest."

"It's a good thing you found this place," I console her as I help her off my partners back. "No telling what could have happened if you hadn't."

"Gee, way to be positive Matt," Tai quips while dismounting Greymon.

I go to say something, but the wind knocks my breath away. The sand is starting to hurt now, the grains flying like little bullets colliding with my skin. "Storms here!"

Tai turns back to our Digimon. "End of the line guys!"

"You got it!" Greymon shouts over the wind. Garurumon nods, and the two Champion level Digimon glow bright yellow as the excess data that formed them strips away in diamond shaped crystals. Soon Garurumon and Greymon are no more: Gabumon and Agumon have returned to us.

"Quickly! Everybody inside!" I hold the heavy flap of the military grade tent open and usher in my companions… and the girl.

_Rei. We're calling her Rei._

At that moment she stands at the entrance way, the wind twisting her long red hair into beautiful streaks of orange and gold. Her eyes come up and meet mine, and suddenly I feel dizzy. I blink and shake my head, but it's not enough to keep my cheeks from sizzling. She frowns, suddenly wary of me. "W-what?"

"Nn…" I shake my head again. "It's n-nothing."

"Hurry up you two!" Tai shouts at the top of his lungs. "Do you want to be sand bait?"

He slips within, followed by Agumon and Gabumon respectively. The wind is nearly unbearable, grains of sand pounding into my skin. I turn to the girl. She looks just like her. But it isn't her. And she needs our help. I widen the flap and flash a nervous smile in an attempt to reassure her. I'm not sure it worked. She follows after, leaving me alone in the sand. I shield my eyes, watching the approaching darkness of the storm with apprehension. And then I step inside.

I've got a terrible feeling about this.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**4**

**Digimon**


	5. Chapter 5

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 5

* * *

I've got a wonderful feeling about this!

Let me be clear – I don't enjoy the thought of people missing in this or any world. I am a little worried, to be honest. But in the back of my head I'm still an eleven year old boy playing superhero with a tyrannosaurus who shoots _frikkin'_ fire from his mouth! It's a life I couldn't have asked for. And as serious as this situation is, a part of me knows I'm going to enjoy it.

It's an adventure. That's what this is. A real grade-A adventure I can really sink my teeth into. I'm with some of my best friends in the whole world, racing against time to save the lives of humans caught in the mix of something mysteriously evil. Our enemy has a dark army of deadly machines with merging capabilities; but even they are useless against the power of good.

_And_ we're joined by a pretty girl…

I smile for a minute and look at her. She blushes and smiles back. I don't know who she is or where she comes from – I have an idea, but I think I'll hold off on saying anything for right now. All I know is that she looks like my best _girl_ friend, and in this moment, she needs our help.

The five of us take the time to shake dust out of our ears before looking around. It's definitely not a normal camping tent. It's spacious, about the size of Sora's apartment in terms of overall area. There's a little kitchenette, a couple of computers, and pages and pages of notebooks lined neatly in a pile. There are also four cots on each side: eight in all. It's almost a lab/office/dorm in the middle of nowhere.

Outside, the wind continues to hammer at our borrowed encampment, the sand beating out tiny messages against the thick tarp. The storm has just started, the harrowing sounds beating against our sanctuary. We're in luck though. Despite whatever battle occurred here earlier, there doesn't appear to be any tears in the equipment that would lead to problems later. We should be safe in here. For now.

"This is it," Rei says. "This is where I've been living for the past few days."

"Nice place."

Matt nods. "Yeah."

"So, um, I guess I'll give you boys a tour!" She says as cheerfully as possible given the circumstances. "I slept on that cot there the first night, I had my first meal I remember at that desk - There's a drawer full of granola in there..."

Agumon drops Izzy's briefcase thing and makes a beeline for the food without a word. I catch his ear before he makes it. "Hold it."

"Nn…"

"It's alright," she says as she opens the drawer. "There's plenty for everyone." She tosses us high energy granola bars from the drawer. Agumon is into them immediately. Gabumon holds back for a moment.

"Um… is there any chocolate in there?"

Rei blinks then smiles kindly. "Sorry. I wish there was."

Gabumon groans. He looks like he's been shot. Poor thing. He munches a granola bar sadly while Agumon chows down as usual. I sigh. Digimon. They can be like little kids sometimes.

"I've been surviving off granola and water bottles. There's a cooler in the tent opposite us: I think that one was supposed to be a mess hall or something. It's got a weird kind of faucet. The waters always warm, but I haven't died from drinking it yet. And I found this robe and sandals from over there-"

I blink. "What were you wearing before that?"

She doesn't look at me, but the side of her face has gone completely red. "U-um…"

I grab my nose to keep it from hemorrhaging. "N-never mind."

Matt blinks. "Wow."

She laughs nervously, her arms instinctively trying to cover herself. "Please stop looking at me like that."

"I don't see what the big deal is." Agumon mutters between gulps of granola.

"You wouldn't," Gabumon tugs at his fur, blushing harder than we are.

"And… eh… you never saw a hint of the people who set this place up?" Matt manages after turning from her, his face almost as pink as mine.

She shakes her head. "It was empty when I found it."

Shaking away embarrassing but truly tantalizing images of our new friend, I furrow my face in thought. "It would have been nice to have seen somebody." I say finally. "It's a big place."

"That's what I thought," the girl clasps her hands together. "I was sure I'd find somebody in a place this big, but no one came. So… um… I stuck around!"

"All by yourself?"

"I'm not a little kid," Rei eyes Matt.

Matt blushes again. Something he's been doing a lot of since she showed up. Weird. "Oh, no I meant… How… eh… never mind."

"How old am I?" She finishes for him. Matt nods. "I don't know. I guess your age… Um, how old are you two?"

"Eighteen." We say at once, and then smirk at the stereo sound we just created. Rei laughs too.

"Well. Is this what you four were looking for?" She extends her arms at the room, sheepishly waiting for a response.

"It's hard to say," Gabumon answers for us. "This certainly wasn't what we were expecting."

"What were you expecting?"

"Something smaller," Agumon quips.

"When we heard there was a science team, we were thinking along the lines of six to eight people," Matt explains. "This camp looks like it could hold a good twenty if need be. And that's only an estimate. If this is somehow the scientists camp ground it must have been quite the team they put together to investigate."

"Hmm…"

"Still," he continues. "It's our best lead so far."

"Thanks." I smile

"You're welcome." She smiles back

"Mn…"

I blink and turn to my blond companion. "What?"

He looks to me. "It's weird," he says. "I don't think they could have set this place up in a couple of days. It feels like it's been here for a while longer."

I raise an eyebrow. "Hmm."

"How much longer?" Gabumon pulls at Matt's pant leg. "A week? Two?"

"A month at least," he decides. "Some of that stuff outside looked like it would have taken multiple jumps between Digiports. And then there's the stuff in here…"

I look around. He's right. Things here seem worn with use. This feels less like a campsite and more like a temporary home for someone. There are even pictures of internet idol and perpetually single _Mari Goutukuji_ hanging up from the sides in a string bikini. Now that is a hot looking piece of-

Focus Tai. People are counting on you.

I frown. This really does complicate things. MAGAMI hadn't been gone long according to Mina, but this site has been abandoned for several days according to Rei. If this was the campsite of the researchers tasked with discovering the secrets of the black wires then the team hadn't been here long before disappearing.

That would suggest that this isn't the site that the MAGAMI researchers set up in their quest for info on the black wires, but rather a sub-site of MAGAMI as a whole: which worries me. When we opened the gates to the world, science teams tried to pour in droves to discover the secrets. Almost all of them have been limited to Neo-Delhi or smaller human settlements like Neo-Hong Kong or Neo-Vegas. To my knowledge few (if any) of them has been allowed to set up camp this far out until this incident – for various reasons.

This leads me to two conclusions. Either MAGAMI is in serious violation of several inter-dimensional laws we finally got the UN to agree to… Or someone with very top clearance has given them the go ahead. Without consent from the Digidestined.

Which is a slap in the face if you ask me.

Then there's the whole issue of who or what attacked this place. I'm leaning on the Gizmon, but nothing is for sure. I mean they froze in place a while ago. Just stopped. Like they weren't allowed past a certain point.

I sigh. Whatever is going on we're not going to figure it out just by standing around.

"We should spread out," I suggest, to the others in the tent. "See if we can find anything."

Matt nods. "Good idea."

We split into two and fan out, me and Agumon on one side of the tent and Matt and Gabumon on the other. Rei stands center conflicted, before bouncing over to me. "Um… What are we looking for?"

"We won't know till we find it," I smile.

She frowns, not liking the answer. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Something simple," Matt tells her from across the room. "A journal, a diary. Something that would give us an idea of what they were working on here."

"Or where they are going," I grunt.

And so our search begins and, from the outset, it does not look promising.

The cots are all unmade, with shoes still underneath some of them. I can't make heads or tails of some of the books. Most of them are in English, and even the ones which aren't are so full of words and numbers I've never needed to use in my life it makes my head spin. Agumon's no better, having the unique ability to find the most useless of personal items whose purpose he's clueless to. Or at least he pretends to be clueless to. He finds several _FuriKuriLove_ magazines with _Mari_ on the cover. I wipe the blood off my nose after he shows them to me and shoot him a dirty look. He smirks. Rei laughs.

_Rei…_

It's not her name, but it's the name we gave her, and she seems to be taking to it well. To be honest I don't know where the name came from, though the Five-to-Zero bit helped solidify it in my mind as perfect. It's the name that jumped out at me; the name I had to call her… at least till we find her real one. I've got a theory about it but… It'll have to wait.

She follows after me trying to be helpful, but she's distracting more than anything. But that's fine. She wants to be useful: no need for me to take that away from her. She points out a few books I missed, but they're much like the first few: endless pages of numbers that have no discernable meaning. She points out a journal under another bed that starts off promising, having been started a few weeks ago, but it's mostly a personal journal about how some guy wants to sleep with some other team member that's becomes completely useless after a few pages. My path eventually crosses to the far corner, where a large cabinet stands quietly. With Agumon's help I pop off the lock and look up.

"Uh… Matt?

"Hmm?"

I point to what I'm seeing. "Are these things what I think they are?"

He makes his way over to us, and as soon as his eyes rest on what I'm looking at his face grows even paler. There appear to be flash grenades in rows on the top shelf, on the door hang knives of various sizes. But these aren't what we're looking at. In the center of the cabinet are our biggest concerns. Machineguns it looks like. A rack of them. And not the little ones the Yakuza use in the movies. These things are heavy duty. Matt gulps. "T-they look like modified M16's!"

I frown. "You know the make and model now Mr. Army?"

He scratches his nose, embarrassed. "Nn… I have a test on modern weaponry coming up."

I blink. "…You're serious about this JSDF thing then."

"Mn," he nods.

"You learn that too…"

He nods again. "I'm telling you, it's a good school."

I frown but don't tease him this time. "Hmm…"

Gabumon crosses between us, his eye focused on the weapons. "These are human devices, right?"

I nod. "Machineguns, yeah."

Agumon fidgets beside me. "This doesn't feel right."

"You're telling me." Says Gabumon.

"What the heck would they need with a weapons locker?" I shake my head. "I thought we made it clear that this sort of thing wasn't cool."

"We can say whatever till we're blue in the face," Matt sighs. "It won't change much."

I blink. "What do you mean?"

"We _are_ only eighteen," Matt reminds me. "It's not like the United Nations has any real faith in us to handle things. They still think we're kids. Just because we say 'hey, no guns in the Digiworld' and they say 'sure whatever', doesn't mean they're going to actually do what we say."

"You think this is backed by the UN?"

He grumbles. "I'm saying I wouldn't be surprised."

"Mmn…" My frown deepens at the thought of our world leaders and their patronizing smiles. Our big summons to Tokyo after the real world went black had ended with a couple of up front house rules: 1.) Digimon are people, not pets. And 2.) If you're coming to the Digiworld, you'd better be coming in peace. I remember angrily spelling out these two rules with gusto, while the rest of my friends stood around me to keep security for shutting me up.

I kinda hate the UN these days. They don't do anything – or when they do, it's always five weeks late and never enough. I look at those guys with their smug faces, and a part of me wishes I could be up there just so I could knock some sense into all of them.

I feel Rei's arm beside me and I wipe off any thought of those hypocrites and focus on the task at hand. "Looks like the kids are doing the saving today."

"W-what do you think they were here for?" Asks the girl.

Matt places a hand to his chin. "I'm sure they'd claim defense."

I frown. There are six in all: enough here to arm a small team of mercenaries or something. What worries me most is that there are quite a few missing from the rack. There are three rows of five, which means that somewhere in the Digiworld are nine armed humans running around. That worries me to no end. I turn to the girl. "Rei, did you notice the guns when you were here last?"

She nods. "Mn. But I didn't touch those."

Matt makes a face. "What do you mean 'those'?"

"I… The other tents had them too. Some of their cabinets were open. I thought about bringing one with me when I left, but they were heavy, and I just wanted to see how far I could go in one direction. I was hoping the campsite wasn't that far away from civilization.

Matt thinks for a minute. "Nn… Twenty kilometers."

I whistle. "It would have been quite a walk."

She blinks. "Oh. Then… It's a good thing you… both found me."

"Yeah, don't mention it." Says Matt.

I frown; turning my head from the girl we're calling Rei to the gun rack. Things just aren't adding up anymore.

"Well, whatever it was, they were worried enough to bring weaponry in from the outside." Matt frowns. "If only we could figure out why…"

"Tai, Matt!"

I turn around. Agumon had wandered off by himself to set the giant briefcase with Izzy's techno-junk out of the way when he stumbled across an active computer. "Good work buddy," I say walking quickly away from the gun rack and over to the open laptop. I slide into the lab chair, and shake the mouse to wake up the screensaver. On the plus side, this laptop doesn't lock me out once the screensaver is down. On the negative end: it's in English. Great.

I frown; trying to remember how each combination of the English alphabet corresponds to sound, and then trying to translate that word in my mind all at once. I suck at it. "[Ah-Poh-Ray-Tee-Own Beegu-Borainu]… Ah, that was terrible. Yo, Matt?"

"Nn?"

"How's your English?"

He smirks. "Better than yours."

I rise from the chair and shift out of the way. He blinks, apparently not aware that I'm serious, but makes his way to the chair and sits down, adjusting that terrible designer shirt of his so that it doesn't wrinkle. I set a hand on his shoulder and lean in, while the rest of our party crowds around us. Matt takes a moment to read over the statements before speaking aloud.

"[Operation: Big Brain]," he corrects my attempt with just a hint of a French accent. I roll my eyes. "Log entry 876.2…" He trails off briefly, his blue eyes flashing over the screen trying to make out what this particular researcher was trying to put onto paper. Finally, he rests his chin on a finger, his frown growing along the lines of his face. "They're readouts of the wire grid. Maps. Projected densities and lengths. All the information gathered by the scientists is listed right here."

I lean in closer. "What does it say?"

"From what I can tell," Matt begins with trepidation, "they've discovered the source of the wires."

"What's so special about it?" Gabumon asks.

"Power," Matt answers. "This hub, where ever it is, is exporting incredible amounts of digital energy. More than they've been able to record so far. Enough power to stimulate the cables… to grow!" He frowns, scrolling down the page with growing apprehension. "There are updates as far back as two thousand three!"

At that my mouth widens in shock. My eyes twitch as the reality of what he's saying sinks in. "They've been watching this thing for years?"

Agumon coughs behind us. "That's longer than Neo-Delhi's been a city!"

"I know," Matt mumbles. "It looks like a small group stumbled into the Digiworld after the second Diaboromon incident."

I grasp his shoulder. "See if you can go deeper!"

He nods and begins playing around with the computer, looking for more information. Beside me, Rei looks worried. "W-what's going on?"

"Nothing," I try to be reassuring. "Just checking on something."

"Mnn…" Matt makes a face.

"What?"

He points to the screen, which is flashing red with English letters. "There seems to be a classified section. I can't get through without a password."

Agumon's shoulders lower. "You mean we did all that work just to get a page we already know?"

My fingers are to my chin. "Maybe not if we can hack it."

Matt gives me a look. "I'm okay with computers," he says. "But I'm not a genius. We'd need Izzy here to work his magic."

"Or we could just guess the password."

He blinks. "You really think it would be that easy?"

I shrug. "I think it's worth a shot."

"Do you know the odds of cracking a personal password?"

"It's our best lead so far."

Matt gives me a skeptical look, but hey, call me optimistic. He sighs. "Alright…"

I nod. "Try MAGAMI."

He types, slender musicians fingers quickly tapping out letters onto the screen. He hits ENTER. The computer flashes red. "No good."

"Try MAGAMI1." Suggests Agumon.

He types again. More red flashes…

"Try MAGAMI2"

Typing happens. Same thing.

"Try MAGAMI3"

"I am not going through every number!"

I pat a pouting Agumon on the snout. "Probably should have started with zero anyway buddy…"

"Science!" Suggests Gabumon.

More red flashes. "Nope."

"Digiworld?"

Red. "Nope"

I'm running out of ideas. "Ramen?"

"_Password_."

We both turn to look at the girl, who shrugs. I turn to Matt. "Password?"

He types, then makes a face. The light is green. "…We're in."

I chuckle. "You'd think company employees would have better safe-"

I don't have the air to say the rest. It all cuts off in my throat as I stare in awe.

Before our very eyes the air sizzles with digital energy and a shape begins to emerge from nowhere, emitting from a flat projector we didn't even see on the floor. It's spherical in nature, bright blues and greens propped up by the occasional dark brown and white, blotting the sphere in big colorful pixels. I recognize it instantly, but Matt defines it anyway.

"It's a holographic representation of the Digiworld."

I blink. "Amazing… This is really advanced."

Rei fidgets beside me. "Um… Is that really the Digiworld?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Hey! You can see my house from here!"

"It's not that exact Agumon…" Gabumon sighs.

Rei ignores them, her eyes twinkling with mystery. "It's beautiful…"

Matt nods again. "Our friend Izzy pulled something like this off once when we were just getting started. If a ten year old could do it…"

"His wasn't in color," I point out.

Matt shrugs. "It's probably based on his design. They've been hounding him for what he knows since MaloMyotismon. He's let a few secrets go."

"Still, to see it again, mapped out so perfectly…" I trail off.

The Digiworld is a lot like earth in many ways, but different in others. The sky is an odd patchwork of pastel blues bubbling into whites. Plants grow instantly after a set amount of time, much like the Digimon. Things can get weird, fast, in this world. But it's just as beautiful, I feel, as my own home planet. Blue oceans, towering peaks and mountains, lush forests, and nonsensical structures all make this place unique and gorgeous.

So when I see a large blot of black squares nestle on a space that should be golden brown, my frown shows up. "Eh, what's that? Black wires?"

"Looks like it. See this?" He points to a large red blip hovering on the floating globe. "This is the hubs projected location."

I nod. "Right in the center."

"This is where we are," he points to a yellow dot on the map, not far away from the hub. He then traces a line from the yellow to the red dot. "This is where the research team would have been heading."

"They must have been trying to keep track of the outbreak."

"Yeah. I think that's what these black squares are here: area's where the wires have solidified."

"They must have really been watching this thing closely."

"Yeah."

We stare together at the giant Digiworld representation, before I look to the side of his computer is what appears to be a log entry. I can make out a few words and names. Sounds important. I tap Matt's shoulder. "What about this bit?"

"Tsk… That's a big block of text. It would take me a while to break it down and understand it."

I furrow my brows. "I thought you said your English was better than mine."

He grins slyly. "Of course my English is better. Cody's English is better than yours; and he's twelve years old."

I roll my eyes. "Nn… Whatever. Can you give it a shot?"

He looks at me, annoyed, but he doesn't say no. He turns back to the computer

"Okay, I might have this wrong," he begins after taking a second to look over things. "But it looks like they first noticed the hub after hearing various legends about some epic battle that supposedly happened in a forbidden temple years ago. There isn't anything specific. A couple of names are mentioned. Johnny Beckenstein, Akihiro Kurata, Rai Aishuwarya…Izzy might know some of these people. They journeyed to the hub and found… something. MAGAMI was trying to piece together its function as well…"

He stops, his pale face growing paler. Concerned, I grab his shoulder. "What? What is it?"

He swallows spit. "They… they think they've found an ancient digital life form."

I stare at him in disbelief. "Say that again."

"I… it's alive!"

"W-what do you mean 'it's alive'?"

"It's like I said." He measures his words carefully. "Their earliest reports keep listing the core as 'he' or 'him'. It's like… a giant cellular organism or something: The hub is the nucleus, the wires are like muscle tissue or cell membranes, and the _Gizmon_ are some sort of antibodies. When they discovered the ruins they woke something up. Something ancient. The cables have been spreading ever since."

"A Digimon?"

"Hard to say. They don't seem to think so though. There's no mention of any Digicore at the hub, just that it's the nucleus. And that…" He stops, his steel blue eyes catching something on the screen below. "_Sonofa_…"

He gets to work, typing out words and phrases in English and cursing when he has to use backspace to fix them. His brow is sweating, and not from the heat – it's actually surprisingly cool inside. I frown, edging closer to him. "What are you-"

He thrusts a finger to the floating globe. It fluctuates briefly, before reappearing. The red dot remains, but the black grid is nowhere to be found. "This is when it started."

I nod hesitantly. "2003…"

He presses a few keys and the image reverts to what it had been before. "This is where it is now."

I make a face, unsure where he's going with this. "Matt?"

"And this," he says with a terrible frown. "Is where it will be next year."

He slides the key over and I lose my breath. Server; a continent the size of Australia, is nothing but blackness. File is completely dark. The grid has even spread underneath the Net Ocean, crawling its way towards the rest of the world. In the space of twelve months, if these scientists are correct, this… thing, will have covered over a fourth of the planet.

"T-that can't be," Gabumon says, nearly petrified.

Rei's hands are to her chest. She's shivering. "That… That is…"

Matt nods. "Right. Server will be completely gone. File too. It'll start crossing into Modem and Domain next."

I shake my head. "How… how fast?"

Matt leans into the table, his arms giving his head support. "It's growing exponentially. Within eighteen months time from now over ninety percent of the Digital world will be connected in some way to this hub."

Agumon's eyes are wide. "Impossible…"

I keep shaking my head. "…It can't be."

"I wish I could agree with you but that's what's happening. This thing… whatever it is… is trying to swallow the Digiworld whole."

I take a step back. Rei grabs hold of my hand and squeezes. I don't even respond. The winds are blowing with terrible force around us, and the walls our encampment strain under the pressure. None of that matters right now. What matters is that some creature is spreading itself across the surface of a world I fell in love with, and I don't know how to stop it.

Remember that wonderful feeling I had? Yeah… That's gone, replaced by a growing sense of horror.

_What the hell are we dealing with?_

* * *

**GODFALL**

**5**

**Digimon**


	6. Chapter 6

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 6

* * *

I don't know what the hell we're dealing with.

But I don't like it.

I let my revelation settle among us. Above me, the image of the Digiworld continues to float unabashed, it's colors blotted out by the huge stain of black wires reaching beneath. This should have been something we heard about: something we stopped long before it got to this point. But we didn't. We trusted our elders to do the right thing and now we're paying the consequences.

"Let me get this straight," Tai folds his arms with a frown. "These guys snuck into the Digital World three years ago, woke up some ancient alien thing at the bottom of admittedly 'forbidden' ruins, and we're only hearing about this now!"

I nod slowly. "That's what it looks like," I mutter through clenched teeth.

"That's sneaky!" Agumon growls. "Why would they keep something like this a secret for so long?"

"They probably had no intention of telling us," Gabumon notes. "I'm guessing this would have made the MAGAMI Corporation a lot of money, right Matt?"

"No doubt," I nod.

Rei looks between us, a look of puzzlement on her face. "Um… what is it the black wires are supposed to do?"

"We don't know for sure," I tell her. "But we know it affects humans severely and somehow your Gizmon are connected to them."

"If it keeps spreading the Gizmon could keep spreading too," Tai explains. "And if they're willing to attack us just for moving close to them, I don't think they'd be too keen on sharing with the rest of the Digiworld."

"B-but what good would letting the Digiworld be swallowed like that do?" Rei asks with a hand to her chin.

"I don't know," I admit. "It could be they just didn't want to get caught and were so arrogant that they'd be willing to let an entire world choke to death."

Rei's face distorts with disgust. "How despicable."

"You're telling me…" I nod.

Tai frowns. "Go back to the last entry. Let's see what happened to them."

I return to the computer and scroll down, reading over their notes as quickly as I can. "Their last entry is the discovery of wires under Neo-Delhi. It looks like they didn't think it was spreading that far _that fast_. They realized that they had lost control of the life form… It's weird. It's like they were betrayed or something. Like they had made some sort of deal with the creature and by expanding under Neo-Delhi it broke the deal."

"What kind of deal?" Asks Gabumon.

"I don't know. Something about a… quantum accelerator? I'm not sure what that is. I just know there are a lot more curses used in this entry than in the one I read before. A lot of talk about being found out…" My frown deepens as I read further, my own sense of dread growing within me.

Tai leans over my shoulder, trying to understand what I'm seeing. "What is it?"

I frown, turning to the Digidestined of courage. "It wasn't a research team MAGAMI sent. It was an extermination team!"

"Nn?"

"They had decided to 'end the program' and had brought along codes for some kind of antivirus software that was supposed to kill it. This camp was supposed to evacuate while the team from Neo-Delhi dealt with the problem. This research business was just a company cover."

"That would explain why no one's here right?" Agumon asks.

"Not exactly," I tell him.

"Nn? Why not?"

I frown, looking over the notes again. "This camp was ordered to leave no trace. But we're here, and we've got their name plastered on every tent we've seen."

Gabumon's eyes widen slowly. "Something got to them before they got away."

"That's what I'm thinking. Something must have kept the extermination team from doing their job."

Tai straightens with a sigh. "Do you think Mina and the others knew about this?"

I shake my head. "No. It looks like kept the Tamer guard pretty much in the dark. Heck, it doesn't even look like the team they sent stepped foot out here. They made an immediate beeline for the ruins from Neo-Delhi."

"…Which means they could still be down there!" Agumon shouts.

Gabumon frowns. "If they're still alive…"

The four of us bow our heads.

"Um… Is there anything else about the guards?" I turn to face the girl, who fidgets under my gaze. "Eh… maybe one of them was me?"

"Matt?" Tai asks. I sigh and take a look.

"There isn't much," I explain to them. "No names. Just that they were joined by a group of experienced Tamers for protection till they shut down the program. Nothing else."

"Oh," she whispers, defeated. "I hoped that maybe… They'd know me or…"

"Know of you," I finish. "Sorry. It looks like these guys only cared about their own assets."

She nods, unhappy but accepting. "Okay."

I don't wait to respond. Quickly, I reach for the metal briefcase we brought along with us and unlatch the thing. Tai stands over my shoulder, curious. "What the heck is that thing?"

"Some sort of trans-dimensional cell phone."

He makes a face. "Why is it the size of a small dog?"

I roll my eyes. "I have no idea."

He frowns, leaning closer to me. "You're planning on calling Izzy with that thing?"

"It's all we've got." I bite out as I try to dial Izzy's number from memory.

"You could text him," Tai mumbles, but by then the phone is on my ear. I glare at him anyway.

It takes a while, but amazingly I begin to hear the ringing of a human phone at the other end. It takes three rings for Izzy to pick up. _"Hello, Koushiro Izumi speaking?"_

"Izzy?"

_"Oh, Matt! Prodigious, the phone works. What kind of reception are you getting? Professor Kogure suggested that the signal strength could handle the output at that distance, but I'm not so sure that the entanglements would give way to-" _

"In a minute Izzy," I halt his techno-speak. "You've got some explaining to do."

_"Me? What did I do?"_ There is hesitation in his voice. _"Is Tai alright?"_

"I… he's fine."

Tai blinks and leans into me. "Is he talking about me?"

I push his face away. "We've got some things to discuss."

_"What things? Are you sure Tai's alright? I saw his signal fluctuate earlier. Were you two in a battle?"_

"Uh, something like that."

Tai snatches the phone from me. "Let me see the phone. Izzy?"

_"TAI!"_ I make out from the receiver.

"Hey, what's up?"

_"Are you alright!"_

"I'm fine Izzy, I told you not to worry."

_"You told me Matt was okay with you staying behind!"_ I hear Izzy shout on the other end.

Tai pouts. "What is he my mom?"

I snatch the phone back from Tai, glaring at my brunette friend. "Izzy, stay on topic!"

_"I don't know what the topic is. What did I do?"_

I sigh. "It's about MAGAMI."

I can almost hear Izzy's frown on the other end. _"What did **we** do?"_

"For one you guys weren't being honest with Mina." I bark a little harsher than I intend. "This wasn't a research team, and the wires aren't new. MAGAMI's known about this for years."

_"Years?"_

"Three of them."

_"Impossible. I would have heard something by now."_

"It's very possible. We're standing in their campground staring at their reports. We've got paramilitary grade machine guns in the back and a report about something alive growing in the deserts. What is going on Izzy?"

His voice disappears from the loud earpiece for a moment. When it returns, it is quieter, and far more hesitant. _"I...I don't know. I hadn't heard anything like that, honest. We had a company meeting and everyone here is very nervous. I don't know anything about what happened three years ago, I wasn't here then."_ There is a sigh at the other end. _"That's no excuse. I should have looked deeper. It's my fault."_

I blink, then relax, realizing I'd come across too strong. "It isn't your fault; we just need you to tell us what you know."

_"I've told you. A team was sent in and they've been missing for a few days and everyone is worried about them. We were told they were investigating wiring, and that's all."_

I frown. "That's not a lot to go on."

_"Sorry_," I hear him sigh on the other end.

I set the phone to my head for a minute, trying to focus. If they were able to sneak something like this past Izzy it must have been deep. Izzy's managed to hack into Government run programs within a few minutes – just for the sake of proving it could be done. For MAGAMI to have stumped Koushiro Izumi is something else. That's a level of deception we haven't dealt with before. Still, now that he knows what we're dealing with he should be able to find more information. And that information might include what we're looking for.

"Hey. We've got a couple of favors we need on your end," I say when I bring the phone back to my ear.

_"What is it?"_

"First, we'd like you to get in contact with someone with free time today and tomorrow. We think we're going to need backup"

Tai frowns beside me. "We?"

I ignore him and wait for Izzy's reply._ "Okay. I think Davis is finished studying. He can be there later today._

"Do you know if Ken's out of his open house German thing?"

_"Not sure. I can look into it. You think you'll need Imperialdramon?"_

I sigh. "I hope not, but it would make things go by easier."

_"Alright, I'll give them both a call. If all goes well they should be with you in a few hours. I'll stick around the lab just in case… I'll tell them I'm pulling an all-nighter. It's clear something is going on around here. I'll start lo-king into it right n-."_

"Izzy you're breaking up."

He makes a confusing sound on the other end. _"Cr-p. The Trans-dimensi-nal phone still has some kinks to -ork out. Probably not a strong enough anten-ae. I'll h-ve to amp the fr-quency and play w-th the recept-rs some m-re. I told them we should go milit-ry grade, but n- one listens -o me…"_

"Izzy?"

_"I'll get to the bott-m of this. In the meantime, please try and find s-rvivors. Call me when you find an-thing!"_

"Wait! Izzy? I've got another favor… Izzy!"

But by then the dial tone is dead.

Tai yawns beside me. "Did he hang up on you just now?"

I groan for an answer. He laughs.

"Well, looks like we're on our own for a while. We shouldn't worry. Let's see what else we can find."

I nod and return to the laptop, hoping to find more. Unfortunately the grand revelation of MAGAMI's secret discovery was probably the penultimate find. My English is pretty good (I can read it well, but I can't really hold a conversation) but little else seems to be of concern to us. Fiddling around with the computer causes the map above us to simmer out of sight, but nothing comes up to replace it. Just a few photographs of various members of the team in various locations around the Digiworld.

"We've got pictures of the wires. Pictures of people poking the wires. Pictures of people in the tent after poking the wires."

"They look terrible." Agumon notes.

"A couple of sketches of that quantum thing."

"It just looks like a circle to me," Gabumon frowns.

I shrug. "That's science for you. They can build anything."

"What's that?" Tai points to a section labeled 'location' in English. I click it.

"A photo of the hub I think. Big computers, a console, lots of brick… Eh… What's wrong?"

Tai's face is pale. He shakes his head. "Nothing. More déjà vu is all."

I frown. "I can assure you we've never done this before."

"No, I know it's just…" He doesn't answer, clearing his throat instead. "Never mind. Probably just my imagination."

"…I was there."

We blink and turn back the girl, whose own face is as pale as Tai's. She stares at the computer screen with a bewildered expression, as if she'd just realizes some terrible thing. I clear my throat. "…Where?"

"There," she says as she points to the photo. "Inside the control center… hub thing. I was there. I saw it!"

"When?"

"I… I don't remember when I just… I know I saw it. I know I've been there."

"How do you know?"

"I just know! I… I mean, I don't remember how I got there but… I know okay? You have to believe me!"

"Hey, hey! C'mon guys." Tai finds his way between me and the girl. "Let's take this nice and slow. Okay?"

She nods slowly. "Okay."

He leads her to a cot and has her sit down. He knows where I was going with this at least. I clear my throat and sit on the cot opposite her. "I think it would help if we tried to piece everything together now."

She frowns, suddenly defensive. "You mean you want me to remember."

I sigh. "Only what you can… if you can. I don't think we'll be able to piece everything together at once." She bites her lip at this, and I feel for her. I clear my throat and let a hand run through my hair. "Still. If you were a part of the Tamer guard, maybe we can help jump start your memory."

"Ooh! Like how we jumpstarted Tai's PlaySystem?"

I sigh. "No Agumon. That might kill her."

Agumon frowns and stops chopping the air in preparation. Gabumon giggles.

She makes a face at me, and for a moment I wonder if she can tell how nervous I am around her. Finally she nods, wary but determined. "I can try."

I nod back. "Alright. Let's start from the beginning. What's your first memory of the Digiworld?"

"The sky," she says first. "I remember staring at the sky."

"Nothing before that?"

"Mm… I don't know if what I remember before that is real. I could have been dreaming."

"Can you try?"

"I…" She shifts in the makeshift chair, nervous. "This… may take a little while."

"We've got time." I tell her simply. "Servers desert storms can last hours."

She nods slowly. "Okay. I remember a little. Just images really. Nothing connecting. Nothing solid enough to tell me if they're real or not."

"Tell us what you can."

She bites her lip. "There not great memories… just flashes of things."

She's stalling. She really doesn't want to do this. "It's okay," I tell her. "What are they?"

She fidgets on her cot looking from me to Tai. I think it's his smile that loosens her up. She blushes and looks to the floor. "I… I remember being with people."

"People?"

She nods. "People and Digimon. I… I don't see their faces but I hear them. We're traveling in a group in the desert. Searching for something… and we found some ruins. I remember crossing them. Someone is communicating with something at the bottom of the ruins and we all think we've found it."

"That lends credit to her being with the research team." Tai says.

"Extermination team." I remind him, and Tai shivers with disgust.

"My memories skip after that." She continues. "Next thing I know we're inside a corridor somewhere. It's dark. I don't remember how I got in, but I'm there. Theres a couple of us… I remember we keep running into enemies. I think they're Gizmon but I can't really… All I ever remember is a purple/gray blur. I must be with some pretty strong people, 'cause they never last long in my memory… the Gizmon I mean. While this is happening though, I'm… arguing with somebody. I remember being mad."

"Do you remember what you were arguing about?" Tai asks.

"Nn... Something was supposed to be found, and the Tamer I was arguing with wasn't taking it seriously."

"You sure it was a Tamer?"

"His Digimon was on my side of the argument... I think. It's all so fuzzy."

I sigh. "Keep going."

She nods. "Before we arrive at our destination, something grabs me and pulls me away… Then I go blank for a while. The next thing I know I'm on a… on a…"

Her voice is rising in pitch and her breathing is becoming harder. She's on the verge of a panic attack. I shush her to try and keep her calm. "Take it easy. You don't have too-"

She shakes her head. "Mnn… This is important. Right?"

I'm silent for a moment. I look to Tai. He nods. "Okay."

She grips the side of the chair, but continues. "The slab. I'm on the slab." The way she spits it out is hateful and frightening. I can only imagine. "I'm cold and tired and hurt. My partners hanging from a wall. Except I don't remember what she looked like. Just claws, restraints, and the color red…"

"Was anyone with you?"

"I don't remember. I don't think so. I remember feeling alone, and sad. Wait! I remember seeing hands… cold hands. They're probing me… Testing me for… something. Oh God…"

I frown. "What's wrong?"

"They wanted what makes me human." She brings her arms up and crosses her chest, her face a wash of shame. "They touched me everywhere…"

I blush, my stomach wrenching for her. She's fighting back tears, but it's a losing battle. The sides of her eyes are already building little drops that will fall across her face. Whatever was done to her was part of her repressed memory and now it's all flooding back at once. Things she'd willfully forgotten are suddenly being remembered. That's a lot to handle. I feel like such a jerk.

Suddenly Tai is sitting beside her, an arm wrapped around her shoulders. His voice is low and soothing. "It's okay. We're right here. We won't let that happen again."

She nods. She takes a few deep breaths to stop the crying before she continues; weakly, but pointedly. "T-that goes by for a while… I lose track of time. I… I could have been there for days. Weeks. I don't know. T-then… Then they stop one day. Just stop and I… I struggle out of the bonds after a while I guess… I don't remember how I did it though. Just… I'm back in the corridors and my hands are bleeding black stuff and there are screams… The next thing I know I'm staring at the sky and the sun is shining and I'm hot and alone. I'm outside the ruins. But however I got out was not the way I came in. And that's when I realized I couldn't remember anything anymore. Then the Gizmon show up and chase me away. And I make it… here."

"Back to the campsite."

She nods, pieces coming together for her. "Mmm! After that my memory starts back up and I can tell you everything, but. That's as far as I can think." She slumps back in the chair, disappointed. "I'm sorry. I'm not being helpful."

"You did good," Tai says with a smile.

I ignore him. "You said you had a partner."

"I think so… I don't remember what she looked like though." She frowns at this. "I don't remember my own partner…"

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you remember?"

"Her voice I think. And her pain. They had her braced to a wall. I think they were experimenting on her as well."

"MAGAMI?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I don't know. I don't think so. I remember the metal hands. Three fingers. I think we may have been ambushed by Digimon."

"Maybe it _is_ a Digimon," Tai says.

"Nn… Maybe." I respond.

He ignores my disbelief and turns back to her. "What happened to her? Your partner"

The girl looks at him with those big brown eyes. "I don't know. I lost her inside."

"Inside?" I blink.

"The ruins. When I ran I…" A light bulb seems to flash over her head then, for her face scrunches in determination. She catches Tai by the collar and grips tight, her eyes shimmering with desperation. "I must have left her there. I don't remember seeing her when I got away. I don't know, maybe they moved her? We have to find her! I can't leave her in there with those things I have to-"

Tai holds up his hands, asking her to calm down. "Easy, easy! You can't just run out to the desert by yourself. We'll go together. We can cover more ground as a team, and you'll be better protected. We just have to wait out this storm first. Okay?"

She's quiet for a moment before her face matches his smile. "Right."

"Moreover, we've got an idea of what we're dealing with now; though I'd be lying if I said it was ideal." I cross my arms. "Still, what little info we have now is better than where we started."

"Mm!" Tai nods. "And now that we know we aren't dealing with a normal threat, we can bring on the big guns, right?"

"Okay!" Smiles Agumon.

Gabumon nods as well. "Should be fun."

Tai turns back to the girl. "Rei, do you think you can lead us back where you came from as well?"

"I… maybe. Why?"

Tai holds her hand tighter. "If we can get inside that lab, maybe we can shut this program off before it gets any stronger. Upload the vaccine or something. Finish what these guys were trying to do."

"And maybe find my partner?"

"Definitely find your partner." Tai assures her, and she smiles.

I eye them coolly. They're still getting along well.

"Hey, we're in luck everyone," Gabumon smiles. "The storm is starting to clear."

He's right; the winds have lessened considerably over the last few minutes. We're lucky. When we were younger we encountered storms that seemed to last forever. At best this one was about an hour.

"I say once this storm is over we sneak down there and meet this thing face-to-nucleus," says Tai as he hammers his fist into one hand.

I frown. "We don't know how many of these Gizmon things will be out there."

"So we be prepared. We have to do something."

"I know."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

He frowns at me, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Isn't this the part where you help me come up with some genius strategy?"

I glare at him. "Why do you care what I think? You're the fearless leader. Right?"

"Yeah. But you're my XO, and I want your advice. C'mon."

I grin. "You're suggesting we-"

"Make out a plan. Yeah, yeah. Can we move on now? You're like my Grandma's record player."

Agumon blinks. "What's a record player again?"

"It's like a terrible ancient CD player that never works right." Tai answers with a sideways glance.

"You have any ideas?" I ask.

He stares blankly at me before a sheepish grin creeps onto his face. I feel a headache coming on. "Eh… Just the sneak in, beat the bad guy, save the day thing I was talking about. I'm open for suggestions. We gotta be quick about it though, we don't have time to waste."

I cough. "We really ought to wait for Davis and Ken. Coordinate with Izzy."

Tai glares. "No time to waste, remember?"

"We'll make time." I put my foot down. "This situation has already gotten way out of hand!"

"And it'll get worse if we don't nip this in the bud right now!"

"Boys?" Rei's voice cracks. "Umm…If you're right, the program will overwhelm Server in a matter of months. You've got to do something."

I look into her pleading eyes and sigh. It's a look Sora's gotten down to perfection: a kind of hopeless deer in the headlights sort of look that tugs my heart in an attempt to get me to do anything. Except this isn't Sora. And the stakes are far too high to ignore. "Just promise me you're not going to run off an abandon our strategy at the drop of a hat."

"Yeah, yeah," he waves me off, then glares playfully when I don't believe him. "What? You want me to pinky square or something?

I frown. "I'm not Sora."

He blinks. The girl is staring again, a frown stuck on her thin face that would be cute if it wasn't so troubling. She scrunches her lips to the side, eyebrows furrowed. Deep in thought. Me and Tai both let out nervous laughs to kill the tension. It doesn't help. This is too unnerving.

_She looks –_

No. Stop it. Quit dwelling on it. People look like other people all the time. Davis looks like a young Tai and this girl just happens to look like Sora. It doesn't have to mean anything. You can't judge a person by appearances.

And besides, we have bigger things to worry about than why she looks the way she does.

Outside, the storms winds are dying down, and the sand taps lightly on the tarp of our tent: beating out a rhythm that calms my nerves. There is a growing thing spreading like a virus underneath us. There are missing people who need our help. And we have a world to save. That's our job as Digidestined. We have to be on guard, and we have to do it quickly.

We could all be in trouble if we don't make this work.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**6**

**Digimon**


	7. Chapter 7

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 7

* * *

We could all be in trouble. We have to make this work.

The storm dies down fully a few minutes later, and we declare it safe to explore the rest of the encampment. Rei points us to where the camp kept its washroom, and we all decide to take some time and freshen up. There's only one small shower at the far end, and it's not really an ideal place. These guys must have been fighting tooth and nail every morning.

I really hope we find them.

Rei gets the shower first – after all, we are gentlemen. Matt and I decide to take the time in between to explore. We split up in order to cover more ground, and I declare that we should meet back at the main tent in ten minutes. The sun is going down, falling beneath the orb of this world and bringing forth the dark of the night. We have to hurry, I realize. We're only gonna get one shot at this.

At first there is nothing to write home about; for me and Agumon at least. Just more books that only Izzy would understand and a bunch of techno stuff the kid in me wants to touch and the adult in me also wants to touch but knows he shouldn't. I do find a 'Ninja's of the Terra Dome' six DVD collection pack under one of the beds – based on everyone's favorite post apocalyptic ninja, _Narumax_. Proving, if nothing else, that these people had lives outside of this encampment. I leave that where it is. I've got the full set at home.

Eventually our search takes us outside, where Agumon and I try to determine what kind of attack took place. Shell casings in the sand tell us that at least one of the missing Machine guns was used, which is something. The damage from whatever the opposition was is small and specific to area, so either the attacking force wasn't very strong… or they were pinpoint shots.

We don't come up with a solid conclusion either way, but we're in a better position than we had been. We also get around to opening the crates.

Those, I wish we hadn't touched.

Bullets. Lots and lots of bullets. Piles and Piles of bullets for, I assume, the M16's in the weapons lockers. I reach my hand inside, lifting a handful from the center and letting them fall back in again like grains of rice. _Why the hell would you need so much firepower?_

Unless you were planning to use it.

There's no way the UN would ever be okay with this kind of force. There's just no way. This is a borderline insurgency point; a fort where humanity could begin a wave on the Digital World. Is MAGAMI a front for some mercenary organization? No. Izzy would have told us if they had been – that much our hacker would have discerned on the first day. Whatever they're doing though is highly illegal, and… perhaps… they've already paid the price.

We slink back to the main tent, with Agumon munching on another granola bar and myself fuming. Matt's already inside, sans Gabumon for some reason, typing out a message on his D-Terminal while balancing a couple of papers in his lap. He's sitting next to a thick notebook that's been opened, and it looks like he's been pulling individual pages from there to read. I'm impressed. "Anything interesting?"

Matt looks up when I speak. He then shakes his head. "Not much. Just a bunch of techno-garbage."

"Uhn…" I frown. "The crates are full of bullets."

Matt makes a face. "All of them?"

"Every one we opened."

He sighs. "I'm starting to hate these guys."

"Me too."

He pulls a few papers up and flashes them before me like I can read them from this angle. It's for show, but I get the picture. "I found the team member listings."

I blink. "Great. How many?"

"Thirty-five."

"Nn… Wow."

"I know right?"

"What were they all here for?"

He shrugs, hoisting up what appears to be the first page. "Aside from work on this life form thing, the records I found are pretty blank. Though they do all hold the same signature."

I frown. "What's the name?"

Matt looks at the sheet and reads it back to me. "Reiko Saibachi."

I grunt and he hands me the paper. I blink, glancing at the photo. She's a nice looking lady, maybe twenty-five. Surprisingly young. The photo has brunette hair coming up just below her shoulder blades and split at the ends. Matt would be all over her about her hair care. "She's pretty," I say finally.

"Nn…"

"Who is she?"

"I think she may be the lead researcher. Her signatures on the rest of these A.o.A papers."

"A.o.A?"

He nods and hands me a sheet of paper and points out a small symbol just below the big MAGAMI stamp at the top. "A.o.A… I'm guessing it's a side venture, which would explain the two groups I think. I'm not sure what it means though."

I take a stab at it anyway. "Always on Acid?"

He sighs. "You and your guesses.

"Nn… So what are they exactly?"

"I'm not sure. Could be a company cover. Could be a side project. Could be they snuck in without company knowledge. It's hard to say. All I've got is the initials. I was going to ask Izzy about it."

"So for all we know that could just be the project title, not the group as a whole. How do you know that has anything to do with anything?"

"I don't. I just think it was curious."

I sigh again. "The whole business is 'curious'."

He nods. "You're right about that."

"Does MAGAMI know how illegal all this is?"

He shrugs, taking the paper back as I hand it to him. "I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised."

"Anything else?"

Matt shrugs. "Aside from that, the best I could do was finding their exact departure date. Next week. They would have started packing up right about now."

"So they didn't return to the real world…"

He holds up a finger. "We don't know that for sure."

"Nn… But it's unlikely that they stayed."

"Right."

I sigh, closing my eyes and crossing my arms. "That doesn't sound good."

"M-maybe the humans escaped into the desert," Agumon suggests.

Matt smiles sadly. "That's positive thinking Agumon, but how long would they last by themselves?"

Agumon blinks and turns his head to the ground. "Mm…"

I set my hand to the base of his neck. "Nn… Don't give up on me partner. We'll find them."

He nods, his spirit returning. "Right!"

"Either way," Matt tells us. "I don't think we'll get the full truth unless we talk to it."

I bite my lip. "Matt… This thing…"

"Mm?"

"This thing hurts humans who touch it. It's spreading rapidly underneath us. It's 'alive' and self-aware. And it still does all these things. Does that sound like something that can be reasoned with?"

He frowns. "Anything can be reasoned with. Given enough time."

"That's the problem," I point out. "How much time do we have?"

"Nn…"

I sigh. It'll get real dark soon; which means we'll have been in the Digiworld for most of the day. This isn't abnormal really, but it just shows the nature of our situation. Things are intense. We may need the whole weekend. As it stands right now though, things in the tent are quiet. There's no Gizmon attacking, no sandstorm outside…

No slightly bubbly girl hopping around me.

"Oi…" I make a face. "Where's Rei?"

"Rei?"

"That's the name we decided on. Remember?"

He glares at me curiously. "You sure you didn't want to call her 'cutie'?"

I ignore his attitude. "Nope. Rei. That's what it was. Where is she? I thought she would have been out by now."

He sighs, clearly not in the mood to play. _Spoil-sport_. "She was out of the wash when I got here. She disappeared into one of the far cabins. Haven't seen her since."

I wave off images of Rei with matted hair. "You left her by herself?"

"She's not a child." He eyes me curiously. "But no. Gabumon's outside her tent now."

I frown. "What she go for?"

"Women stuff," is all he says. I don't ask any further.

I plop on the cot across from him. He keeps typing on his D-Terminal. I frown. He keeps giving me sideways glances while he does too… "What are you doing?"

"Eh… making sure Izzy knows where to send our reinforcements."

"We don't really need them per say…"

"Maybe not. But the extra eyes will be helpful."

"You're not gonna use the megaphone?"

Matt makes a face. "I'm sending them a text this time."

"Lemme see." I snatch his D-Terminal away from him before he has a chance to stop me. He reaches to take it back, but I lean away from him and read his message aloud. "'_Izzy, can't use the phone right now due to mechanical difficulties_'. Great lie."

"Shut up."

"'_Lots of weird things here. Do you know what A.o.A is? Tai wants us to move on and the psychopath is not budging on this'. _Psychopath?"

"Give me my D-Terminal back Tai."

He reaches again, but I lean away._ "'Please tell Ken and Davis to arrive at these coordinates as soon as possible. We may need backup. Also… I'll have something to ask you about..._'" The note trails off there. I blink and look at him. He turns his head and looks away, as if caught in the middle of something he'd rather not let me know. I frown. "About?"

"It's a private matter."

"Uh-huh. You wanna take that private matter up with me?"

"…Not really."

I hand him back his D-Terminal with mild annoyance. "Good. We've got people to save."

He snarls at me. "Don't preach to me Tai. I know the score."

Agumon blinks between us. "…You two aren't about to fight are you?"

I'm clear and easy with my words. "No Agumon. We're coming to an understanding."

Matt shares my feeling. We're having a disagreement is all. "I'm just going to tell Izzy about Rei. See if he can corroborate her story."

I roll my eyes. "Because Izzy knows every Tamer in the world. Right."

"He has a registry list Mina gave him. If she was part of the Guard Tamer group she'll be on that list."

I open my mouth to argue, with the clear intent to point out that Matt has been almost as rude and aggressive towards her as Agumon, but I keep quiet. If Rei was a Tamer she should have been registered for duty somewhere. Tamers don't have digivices, so we can only keep up with them via specifically designed wrist watch communicators called D1's. A friend of ours from America – Willis – was kind enough to design the first few we handed out.

Eh… designed is being too kind. Willis literally taped a watch and a pedometer together for a little eight year old kid he'd taken to the Digiworld to impress the kids' seventeen year old sister Willis was hitting on at the time. He'd joked about it on a private message board Izzy set up for us Digidestined and the idea sort of spread across the world. Essentially, all D1's are just glorified watches with a tracking device installed that keeps tabs on a Tamers chosen partner's vitals. But that's bad marketing… so we don't tell the Tamers that.

Yeah I know, we're terrible.

Still, if Rei registered, then her information – from height and description down to base code – should be somewhere stashed on Izzy's computer, as well as the last known location of her D1. While I don't like his reasoning he's probably right. We need to ask Izzy about Rei.

I cross my arms. "Fine."

Matt clears his throat. "And I really do think we should at least wait for Davis. Having an Armor-Digimon at our disposal isn't a bad idea if we don't know what we're dealing with."

"We really don't have to bother them you know." I tell him through a thin veil of annoyance. "I'm pretty sure we can handle whatever this is ourselves."

"Maybe." Matt yawns. He starts typing out the rest of his message. "But it's nice to have backup anyway. Things have gotten way out of hand. We don't know how bad this can get."

"Meh, it can't be that bad." I muse. "Maybe we're overreacting. After all, Rei's been around long enough to fight them off."

Things get quiet for a moment, and Matt looks up at me, steel blue eyes attempting to penetrate my soul. I frown. "What?"

"…You like her."

"We just met her today."

"I know." He stares at me. "Which is why I'm concerned that you like her so soon."

I frown. "What are we, in middle school? I don't _like-her_ like her."

"But you certainly _like_ her."

"I _like_ you too. So?"

Matt shakes his head. "Tai I'm being serious."

"Seriously annoying. You're just mad she isn't flirting with you."

"We both know that's not me," he says. "We also know _why_ I don't care if someone's flirting with you. Seriously, I've watched you land some incredible girls before Tai. You get bored of them far too quickly, but they've been nice to look at. But this one isn't like them."

"Of course she isn't. I'm not actively pursuing her and she needs my help more than she needs the Kamiya charm. That's all this is." I snort. "Seriously, a girl has a mild similarity to Sora and you get all defensive."

"The similarity isn't mild. It's downright terrifying." He sighs, blue eyes averting my gaze. "Tai… Something… Something doesn't feel right."

I scoff, turning to my partner. "Ah, you're just worrying yourself. Right Agumon?"

"Mnn… I don't know Tai. I don't trust her either."

I feel a sweat drop fall from my brow. "Wha? What has you in a bunch?"

Agumon shrugs, emerald eyes downcast. "I don't know. She doesn't smell right I guess."

"You don't smell right half the time." I point out, and Agumon snorts at me.

"Even so," Matt still has that look on his face. "You shouldn't let yourself get distracted."

"I get distracted? You tend to stare at her!"

"I do n-", he stops himself; his pale cheeks tainted pink again. "Alright, maybe I do. She unnerves me. She's too much alike."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. It's not like you think. I think she's attractive, sure. But so is Sora and I don't go around wagging my tongue after her do I?"

He doesn't say anything for a while. He just sits there, not speaking, his eyes furrowed with worry. When he does say something, his face holds a tight frown. "Tai."

"…What?"

"How long are we going to dance around the elephant in the room?"

I blink. "First, we're not in a room. We're in a tent. So that was stupid. And second, I don't know what you're talking about."

His eyes change from worry to anger. "Fine. Play dumb. It's easy for you. You told me it wouldn't be an issue and I mostly believe you. But this is different, and I think you're letting the idea run away with you. She seems like a nice enough girl, but we know nothing about her. All we know, is she looks like _her_. Maybe you're right. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe I'm just overreacting to the doppelganger of my girlfriend running around. But Tai, just remember." His eyes narrow into slits. "No matter what happens, it _isn't_ her. Rei is not a _replacement_."

He lets that hang in the air. I can't help but glare in anger.

"…Shut up Ishida."

Before the fight actually begins, we hear a rustle from the tarp. The face of Rei reappears, peaking inside curiously. "Is… everything okay?"

"We're cool," I bite. "Matt's just a jerk. As usual."

Matt ignores me. "Better?"

She nods and opens the flap more. I have to grab my nose again.

I'm not sure where she found them, but she's wearing a pair of shorts that are incredibly tight, and a shirt that's so big it flows in the wind, allowing my admittedly easy to impress mind to wander. She's found a pair of boots and socks, but they only exist to point out how toned her legs are. She leans under the tarp to enter, just enough to let the shirt hang low and for me to see the skin between her breasts. Beside me, Matt's frozen up… and I think I see a dribble of blood running down his nose too. She catches us both staring, and blushes just inside the doorway.

"What is it?"

I blink. "Uh… Nothing."

Matt gulps. "You found 'clothes'."

"Oh, um… these were lying around. I didn't… you don't think they'll want these back do you?"

"Nn… I can't imagine why," I weather.

Gabumon ducks his head in behind her. "The coast is clear. I haven't seen any Gizmon and I don't smell any either."

"That's a relief," I say.

Matt clears his throat. "Are you two coming in?"

They nod and fully enter. Gabumon waddles his way over to Matt's side, while Rei opts to sit beside me. "While I was out I tried to remember which way I'd wandered from," she says while adjusting a strand of ginger hair out of her eyes. "I think I can take you there. It will take some time though."

Matt sets aside the papers on his lap. "We'll have to make time work for us then. How far do you think it is?"

"Five… maybe six kilometers. I remember it took me forever to get here and I was tired and hurt."

"How long did you stay here again?"

"Um… a few days. Two or three. I didn't leave until my head stopped spinning. It was… tough."

I nod. "I understand."

"Alright," Matt says. "Here's what I'm thinking. Our first priority should be to reason with it. Failing that…"

"We finish what they started…" I nod.

Rei fidgets with the end of her shirt. I try not to peak. "How are we supposed to do that though? There are so many Gizmon, and we don't even know where to start."

"We'll need the codes to their anti-virus software," Matt muses.

"And how are we going to transfer the codes over genius?"

I'm guessing I come off harder than I mean to, because Matt looks a little hurt. "Nn… I think we can transfer information from the lap top to our D-Terminal. Do you have a transfer cable?"

I scoff. "No."

He frowns. He's definitely hurt. "You don't have to be rude."

Gabumon blinks and looks between us. "Guys?"

Before I can say anything I feel a shove from my side. I turn to face a glaring Rei, who looks like a disappointed mother. "Ta-i-chi. Matt is your friend right? Stop being like that."

I blink. Just then I could have sworn she was…

"Eh… Nn… Whatever."

She nods and turns back to him. "Matt… um… What does a transfer cable thing look like?"

He scratches his chin. "Uh… They look like the kind of cable that goes with an iPod."

"Eye… Pod?" We both blink at the question in her voice, but she waves us off. "I got it, I got it."

She scoots over to a desk and opens another tray, revealing a collection of cords and wires for various computer equipment. "Which one of these would work?"

Matt looks to me. I huff. He sighs and heads over to check with Rei. Beside me, Agumon groans. "I thought you said you weren't having a fight."

"They're having a fight?" Gabumon asks.

"We're not having a fight." I roll my eyes.

"It feels like a fight." Agumon tugs at my pant leg.

"This isn't a fight Agumon, this is…" I stop. I don't know what this is. I haven't been this affected by Matt's words in a long time. But it is not a fight. "We're having a disagreement." I tell him finally. He doesn't look like he believes me but he stays quiet nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Matt and Rei have found the cable they were looking for. Satisfied, Matt walks over and plugs it into the laptop, before pulling out his D-Terminal and making the connection. "Let's see if this works."

It takes a moment before we can tell. But a quick check of his D-Terminal and the Vaccine program has been uploaded. "Great," I say. "Now we can get going."

"We should probably install it on your D-Terminal too. Just in case."

"Nn… Always thinking ahead."

I hand him my D-Terminal and he uploads the information in the same manner. I take it back to check, and a fancy new program entitled 'Vaccine Program V' blinks happily on my screen. This had better be worth it.

"It's getting dark," Gabumon notes.

"We're going to have to move soon." I suggest.

"Slip in under the cover of darkness?" Asks Matt.

I nod again. "Sounds solid."

"We'll need time to gather supplies then."

I raise an eyebrow. "We _need_ stuff?"

I probably say it harsher than I mean to. "Nn… We don't know how many Gizmon we may be facing. Our partners are gonna get hungry."

Agumon bares his pearly-white teeth in a smile. "Yes! More granola… Eh… You think there'll be honey-nut?"

"I don't care," huffs Gabumon, and Matt scratches behind his partners ear with sympathy.

"Alright. We've got a rough plan together and we can fill in the rest of the details on the way. Right now our priority should be to find this place and see if there are any survivors. Right?"

Everyone nods.

"Anything else?" I ask.

"What do we do about these?"

We turn to see Rei awkwardly holding one of the machineguns.

_Crap._

I don't know when she pulled it down, but she doesn't seem to have too much squeamishness with holding it. She cradles the thing like she would a newborn babe, looking at us innocently with hazel brown eyes. Matt and I are silent for a moment, not sure what to tell her. She blinks at us, waiting for an answer. I gulp. "Eh… Rei?"

Matt clears his throat. "Nn… Why don't we leave these here... What do you think Tai?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Nn… Right."

"No guns," Matt tells her.

Rei frowns for a minute: she really looked like she wanted to use it, which is adorable in a frightening sort of way. She sighs and turns back to the weapons locker, while Matt and I share a look before I catch myself and go back to glowering at him. Jerk.

Seeing my attitude, Matt scratches his chin and turns back to her as she closes the locker. "You may still want to take your robe too," Matt suggests. "Servers deserts can get pretty cold."

"I know," she reminds him, and he shuts up.

She shuts the locker down and returns to us. I clear my throat. "We've got twenty minutes. Me and Matt will grab showers, Agumon and Gabumon will grab what we need. We'll all meet outside the main tent. Sound good?

There were no disagreements.

"Then let's get a move on."

Agumon grins. "You got it."

We split up again. I grab a quick rinse in the shower – enough so I don't smell like sweat and burnt glass – and slip back into my school uniform, wrapping the coat around my waist and tying it in a knot. Matt passes me by on his way for his shower. We say nothing to each other as we cross: which may be our best idea today.

I grab Izzys' monster phone, and then head outside by myself. Agumon joins me eventually, holding as much granola as his claws can carry. I fit about six snacks into my pockets, take one for myself, and tell him to put the rest back or something. He glares at me, and instead simply eats the rest in one gulp. I sigh. Digimon have black holes for stomachs, I'm convinced.

I have him digivolve for me. No need in wasting time. Greymon bends over and I use my free hand to climb back onto his neck, careful not to thwack him with the briefcase.

I can't help it. My mind keeps falling back to what blondie said earlier, and it makes me want to punch something. I've known Sora longer than he has. We're friends – childhood friends. And sure, maybe I had something of a tiny little crush on her… when I was eleven years old. _C'mon_. It's been years since then. I've grown out of my schoolyard days. To suggest that I still might –

You know what? Forget it. I slam my teeth into the last bit of my granola and toss the wrapper to the sands. Jerk. We've got more important things to worry about than his insecurities over his girlfriend.

He pops out of the tent at that exact moment, munching on his own bar and looking somewhat guiltily. I ignore him, or try to. It's hard when his hair is that blond in the sunset. Way too much bleach. "Tai?"

Oh. He's talking to me. "Hmm?"

"Nn… Sorry."

I blink and turn to face him. Is he really apologizing for earlier? He doesn't look embarrassed or guilty. Then again, he probably thinks he isn't in the wrong here. I frown. Maybe Matt's just saying that to stroke his own ego.

Or maybe Matt's just being the same friend he's always been and I'm being the biggest dunce on the planet.

Ahh… we'll split the difference.

"Whatever. Let's just drop it. 'Kay?"

Not quite what he wanted to hear, but it'll have to do for now. I'll tell him sorry later, when my impatience isn't driving me bonkers. This isn't a big deal, really. When one of us ticks off the other it usually takes a couple minutes to cool down. Once that happens it'll be like we never even had a fi-… a disagreement.

If we were having a real fight one of us would have tried to punch the other by now.

Still, our issue isn't the end of the world, and I'm already feeling better about things. He knows I'm happy for them, and he knows I could care less about how lovey-dovey they get around me. Matt and Sora are my friends. That's it. Nothing for me to be jealous over.

Meh… I'll probably forget the whole thing on the way.

Gabumon joins us, sulking at the lack of chocolate but sufficiently energized. He becomes Garurumon a few seconds later, shaking sand from his fur while continuing to sulk. Matt mounts his back in silence. That leaves one person left to worry about.

"You left Rei again."

Matt gives me a look. "Nn… She went to get something."

I ignore him, turning my attention to the tent. "Rei!"

Eventually she stumbles out, wearing her robe again, looking worried. She's strapped the bag of goodies over her shoulder, and while one hand holds to the tarp, the other plays with the strap. She hangs back at the entrance of the tent, tentatively eyeing Greymon and Garurumon. I frown at her for the first time since we met.

"Oi, Rei… You coming?"

She hesitates for a moment, before nodding and trotting her way towards us. Matt extends a hand and helps lift her onto Garurumon's back. She clutches tightly at her robe with one hand – I suppose Server's chill got the best of her. The other arm has wrapped itself around Matt's waist. I frown, but say nothing. Honestly, there's not much more that can be said.

"Alright, forward mush Greymon!"

Greymon puffs smoke in annoyance.

And then our party is off, pressing forward even as the sun begins its final descent over the far off dunes. Out there, somewhere, something very real is growing, a danger we don't fully understand. But what we know, what we've seen… That's enough for me. Whatever this thing is, it has to be dealt with. We have to go all out.

Above all, we have to be ready.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**7**

**Digimon**


	8. Chapter 8

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 8

* * *

We have to be ready, above all else.

The five of us are hurtling across the desert sands, making good time. If nothing hinders us I'd say we'll be there in ten minutes. Of course by thinking that I've probably jinxed the whole journey and we'll likely get attacked by a hundred monsters at once. Huzzah for Ishida luck.

Tai and Greymon take up the rear again, with Tai agreeing to hold onto Izzy's briefcase for the moment. A part of me wishes we could leave the thing behind at the campsite, but we can't be too careful. We may need a quick call back to the human world. I take point with Garurumon, his eyes and nose scouring the land for potential ambush.

The girl… Rei is riding with me again.

Her arm is attached to the fabric just above my waist, clinging to me for support. Some of the mystery around her is gone, which is good. And my fears about her are not as bad as they had been. Indeed they're getting better. But that doesn't mean she doesn't still make me uncomfortable. I wish I could get over it cold turkey, but it's still gnawing at my psyche a little. The resemblance is confusing at best. Still, I have to suck it up. She's our only lead left on this, and she knows these Gizmon better than us.

She's leaning into me and humming a little, a song that she likely doesn't know the words to. There's something odd that is distractingly prodding me in my back right now. I'm guessing the sack of food stuffs and other materials is what's pressing awkwardly behind me. Whatever it is, it's poking into my back pretty hard. I grunt and turn to her. "Eh… Rei?"

"Hmm?"

"You're leaning too close. I think the straps are in my back."

She's away from me in an instant. "Eh, er… sorry."

I sigh. It's better, though I still feel a little something. It's not as distracting as it was before though. I adjust and make myself comfortable on Garurumon's back. My partner makes for hard riding sometimes.

"You walked all this way alone?" He rumbles in awe. We've travelled quite a ways already, and we still have another two kilometers to go.

I feel her nod behind me. "Yeah. I don't know how I made it. I thought it was a mirage at first."

"Good thing it wasn't," says Garurumon.

I nod in agreement. "It… must have been tough. Wandering around with no memories."

Rei is quiet for a moment behind me, clearing her throat before speaking. "Mm… But now we know better. I was a Tamer once, right? I just didn't remember. Something happened to me in there."

"…Nn…"

"And what's more… if you're right… my friends will be in there too. Right?"

"Right…"

"Good. I can't wait until you find them and give me my life back. Then I'm going to go and find who is responsible." She hisses, her voice cracking behind me. "Whoever did this is going to pay dearly."

I frown and turn my head to face her. The sound of her voice is low and threatening. I wouldn't want to make her angry. "R-Rei?"

She blinks and then looks away, her cheeks rosy. "S-sorry."

"N-no. It's okay."

She nods, but looks embarrassed. "I'm not normally like this. At least I don't think I'm normally like this..." She sighs behind me. "I could totally be normally like this."

I blink. "Like what?"

"Vengeful." She says. "I really want to see who did this to me and I really want to get even. But even saying that out loud makes me sad. I don't know. Maybe the real me is a complete jerk like that."

"...You're not normally like this." Garurumon rumbles beneath me.

The girl sounds surprised. "I'm not?"

He shakes his massive head and keeps trotting. "No," he tells her. "You're too nice to be like that."

I can almost feel her smile from here. "Thank you Garurumon."

He grunts. I think my partner is blushing. _Great. First Tai, now Garurumon_...

We ride on a little ways further, kicking up dust as we go. The sky is dark blue, with just a sliver of light the color of her hair crossing the distance away from us. The wind is cool, and the world around us is quiet. I take a glance above me, watching as the bravest stars fight their way through the dark pastel colors to sparkle their light alongside the sunset. Briefly I wonder what the rest of the Digiverse is like - and wonder still if anyone will ever reach those stars.

"Eh…Matt."

The silence is interrupted by her voice again. I blink and turn an ear back to her. "Hmm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"About the Digidestined?"

I frown. "Hmm…"

"H-how many of you are there now?"

I roll back my eyes in thought. "…A lot. There's at least twenty on every continent. Usually many more depending on how big."

"So many…" She sounds impressed.

"Un-hmm." I nod.

"But there are more… Tamers, right?"

I nod again. "A lot of people want to be partners. A lot more like to play hero."

"Amazing."

"Hmm?"

"That the world could grow like that in such a short time."

"Hmm…"

We're silent again, riding Garurumon across the sands. It's true, I realize. A lot about our world has changed. While Digimon aren't widely discussed among the public, there's a lot less denial of their existence. We'd rather keep a low profile, but our partners can enter public places without having to pretend they're toys or pets these days. That doesn't mean there aren't any problems. A lot of people are nervous around horned dog-lizard hybrids the size of a small child.

But things in the Human world aren't so bad that people go out of their way to attack Digimon physically. Most people are smarter than that, thank goodness. The few that aren't learn pretty quickly.

Then there is the Digiworld itself and its relationship to us. Before, when it was just Davis and the others who could get in, we could keep things secret. When MaloMyotismon attempted to invade our world three years ago he broke something within the Digiports – whatever seal the Harmonious Ones had placed are gone. Ports are easier to access now. All you need is a working digivice really. The mechanics inside should be enough power to open the gate for you, though it takes a specialist on the other side called a portologist to determine your location.

That doesn't stop kids from trying.

We call them Tamers. It was a derogatory remark towards them at first but it's grown into a begrudging kind of respect. They're kids who find their own way into the Digiworld – either by borrowing a Digidestined's Digivice to open a port or slipping through a digital field when the fabric of our realities shift... Something that's becoming far too common for my tastes. Their 'partners' aren't given to them. They find a Digimon who likes them and the two join forces to play hero with the rest of us. It used to be tough in the beginning. Everyone who could find a way in did. There were a lot of injuries and stern talking to's. A couple of partners died.

Things are more organized now. It's mostly Tai's idea, and I have to admit it was a stroke of genius. When the others worldwide heard about it the idea caught on and spread like wildfire. You want to be a Tamer? You register with us. You only get one partner. You cannot attack unless provoked. If there is a Digidestined with your party you follow their orders. When your adventure is done, you write it up on our message board so we know what you did and if we need damage control. And above all; _remember that you are not invincible_.

Those were his rules. And when a Tamer follows them, they actually turn out useful. The last few years have seen the more experienced kids turn into something like a personal army for the Digidestined. _Guard Tamers_. Their partners are typically champions and their win/loss ratio is above eighty percent. They're usually good.

Not as good as us, but you get the picture.

I glance back at Rei. She should be one of them, if she registered. And if it's true – if she really was a Guard Tamer – then it worries me that she's the only one left. If this thing can completely annihilate a Guard Tamer unit without them being able to retreat, then we're in more trouble than we thought when we began. I frown. Things are never easy for us are they?

"What?"

I blink and realize I'm starring again. "S-sorry," I tell her.

"Oi!" I hear Tai call from behind us. "Is he giving you trouble Rei? I will punch him in the throat if he is!"

I lower my head and let out an exasperated sigh. Rei giggles behind me. "We're fine Taichi. Don't worry."

Tai grumbles some more from his perch on Greymon's neck before the two of them find the time to get into another argument. Rei shifts behind me, careful not to poke me with… what_ is that?_ That is a big strap. "Matt, um…"

I'm thrown from my confusion. "Hmm?"

"About Taichi…" Her words trail off, and I feel her shifting uncomfortably behind me. "Does he… is he… um…"

"What?"

She laughs nervously and loosens her grip on my waist. "N-nothing. Never mind."

I frown. "What is it?"

She sighs. "I… uh… just wanted to know…" She hesitates, and the laughs sheepishly behind me. "It's nothing… I just wanted to know what are you and Taichi having a fight about, that's all."

I've got a feeling that's not what she wanted to ask, but alright…

"We're not fighting," I grunt back to her.

"Hmm?" She doesn't sound too convinced. "It sounded like you were fighting earlier."

I shake my head. "If we were fighting one of us would have a black eye by now."

She's quiet for a second. "Mm… I thought you two were friends."

I blink. I guess I never really explained our relationship to her. "We are," I say. "That's why we're so hard on each other."

"Hm?"

"We're friends," I say as I lean closer to Garurumon. "If one of us is acting foolish the other won't hesitate to correct him. But we're both so hard headed that sometimes it takes a fist to the face to wake us up."

"That doesn't sound very friendly."

"It wasn't at first. We used to hate each other." I smile inwardly. "I changed. He changed me. Tai's the sort of leader who won't back down when he thinks it'll help his friends. Anybody else and I'd walk away. He's the only one… the only one in the world like that for me." I can't help but smile. "I trust him considerably."

"You _like_ him?"

It comes out so suddenly I don't know how to respond to her. I cough again, and Garurumon chuckles underneath me. "Mm?"

"Taichi?"

"…I guess so." I sigh, looking up to the darkening skies. "He's like my other half. Everything I'm not, he is. And everything he's not, I am. We're a team."

"Not as much as you and me," Garurumon grunts jealously underneath me.

I laugh and pat him on the back. "No, not that much. He's not my _partner_ he's…" I shake my head. He said it best earlier. "He's my leader. I'm his XO. That's us."

She's quiet for a long time after that, letting my words sink in I'd imagine. Finally she shifts again. "You _do_ like him then."

I blink. I remember all the frustrating, painful, annoyingly amazing moments the two of us have had in our day. They make me smile. "Yeah," I tell her simply. "I do."

"…But not me."

I choke on my saliva. "W-what's that?"

"You don't like me," she says with a kind of quiet bluntness. "You don't trust me."

I clear my throat… "Nn… Where is this coming from?"

"In the tent, and before when we first met," her voice is low and sad. "It was almost like you didn't believe me. The look on your face..."

"It's not that I don't _like_ you," I try to explain to her with a nervous voice. "It's that… I know nothing about you. I'm putting a whole lot of faith in your memories that you yourself said could have been simply dreams."

"And I look like your friend."

I sigh. No use in lying to her. "…Yeah."

She tightens her arms around me, but I can almost feel her frown from here. "But I'm not like her am I? You said it yourself."

"You're not. I know, I know." I chew on the bottom of my lip in thought. "I guess I haven't been completely fair to you."

She stays quiet for a little while. "It's okay."

"Mm?"

"You're like that because you want to protect Taichi. Right?" She moves again, her weight settling behind me – the weird protrusion poking my back again. I don't notice it as much this time.

"He's working so hard for me. He's letting it get to him. Isn't he?" I don't answer. I don't know if I can. She continues. "That's why you're always cautious around him. It's why you're so hard on me. You're trying to protect him. Right?"

In a weird way she's right. "I… yeah. I guess."

She squeezes my waist. "You're a true friend."

I think I'm blushing again. "Thanks."

"I wish… I wish I had someone I could protect like Taichi."

"You could always help me protect him," I joke with her. "Tai's a lot to handle."

"Hmm…" is her only response.

We go silent again, but now it's uncomfortable. I fidget on Garurumon's back, trying not to look at her. My mind replays the events of the day, and the thing that's been bothering me about them comes back up. I don't think I'd ever get a straight answer on this from Tai. Not one he's aware of. But maybe… "Hey, Tai… Taichi. You're awfully close to him."

She shifts behind me, the poking thing disappearing from my back for a moment. I think she's smiling. "Am I?"

"Yes," I say. "I guess you like him too?"

"Mm. Yeah. He's been so nice to me," she says.

"Hm…"

"Eh… You have been too!" She's quick to include me. "Both of you. I like you both!"

"Hmm…"

"He's just…" She sighs in a girlish sort of way Sora never would. "He's very sweet."

"He can be when he wants to."

"Without him I wouldn't be here. Or you. I'd still be wandering the desert if you both hadn't found me." She squeezes my waist. "Thank you. Both."

"You said that before," I remind her with a smile. "It's no problem. This is what we're supposed to do."

"But I mean it," she tells me. And then she leans her head into my back again. "Thank you."

I go to say more, but Garurumon has stopped. His feathers are at attention again, which means we're about to be visited by outsiders. Greymon's slowed behind us, nostrils smoking. Tai's already dismounted, which means he doesn't think this is a simple raid.

"Garurumon?"

"Incoming." He growls.

What I tell you? Ishida luck, every time.

The sand around us suddenly shoots into the air. Gizmon again, popping out of the ground in waves. Ten of them in all this time, sweeping above the skies and raining lasers down from the heavens. Greymon and Garurumon begin firing back, launching their energy into the sky.

_**"Nova Blast!"**_

_**"Howling Blaster!"**_

The attacks miss their marks, though they do come close. The Gizmon spread out, returning fire on Garurumon. He hops out of the way, barely dodging the rays at his feet. Greymon lobs more fireballs their way, but the Gizmon only flit out of the way and attack us again. I grunt. We're slowing Garurumon down. I grab Rei by the hand. "We have to jump! Okay?"

She nods, terror in her eyes. I grit my teeth. "Garurumon, we're letting go!"

"Watch yourselves!" He shoots back.

I don't waste any more time. With her hand in mine I lean off the side of Garurumon, taking the girl with me. Garurumon dips low so that our fall isn't severe, and we roll through the sand in a lump. Much lighter and without the added worry of two passengers on his back, Garurumon howls, his cold breath fuming smoke from his jaws.

_**"Howling Blaster!"**_

The stream of ice presses skyward, but it again misses its targets. The Gizmon aren't staying in a particular formation this time, each individual bug scraping and ducking and weaving across the night, before they once again hone in on their target.

Rei.

I'm on my feet in seconds, grabbing the girl by the arm and running full throttle towards Tai. The Gizmon are behind us, dodging fireballs from Greymon and streams of ice from Garurumon to reach us. They're definitely after her.

"What did you do to them," I shout back to her.

"N-nothing!"

"They certainly _like_ you though!"

She shakes her head as we run. "It wasn't this bad before. When I woke up they chased me away but stopped after a while. I don't know what happened in between!"

I don't have time to respond. A blast from one of the Gizmon rips a hole in the ground in front of me and throws me off balance. I let go of the girl and tumble forward, hot sand finding its way everywhere on my person. I hear Tai's voice crying out to me but I can't respond. I groan and shake cobwebs out of my head. I look up, and Rei is standing in front of me, legs wide, in a defensive position. The Gizmon have looped around and, having avoided our Digimon, look prepared to attack again.

"Rei! Look out!"

"I… I don't know if I can protect Tai," she says to me. "But I think I can protect you right now!"

I cough. "Rei?"

She ignores me, and instead, does something I don't expect at all. Rei opens her robe, tosses it to the ground beside her, grabs a small round object fastened on her chest, and hurls it like a baseball at the oncoming robots.

The bang that comes next is loud and surprising, and my senses jolt in spite of myself. The explosion sets off a blinding flash of light, and I'm forced to shield my eyes. When I can open them one of the Gizmon is down, its data evaporating into the air while its cord slinks silently into the ground. The others spread out of attack formation, their cords trailing up dirt below them as they sink to avoid her.

A grenade, I realize. She was keeping Grenades.

She's gotten straps from somewhere, and she's attached all sorts of goodies that make me think she must have been a military otaku in a past life. A few of the flash grenades cross her torso, and she's got a knife sheathed in a hilt she's strapped to her left thigh. She's been hiding them all this time underneath her robe. I slap a hand to my forehead. That's what's been poking me in the back the whole ride over? _Grenades_!

…

Clever girl.

"What the hell was that!" Tai shouts, incredulous as he approaches us.

"No weapons!" I hiss at her from the ground. "We all agreed. No weapons!"

Rei shoots us a look. "You two said no guns. That wasn't a gun."

"I…" Tai shakes his head. "She's got us there Matt."

I ignore him. There are still nine of them left, and if we're not careful they could merge into that giant mecha again. I turn to Tai, who's still grinning at the girl in shock. "We've gotta-"

"Wrap it up. I know." He turns to me with a look of mischief and I start to worry.

"What?"

"This would be a great time to try…"

"I thought you said you wouldn't…"

"Kinda an emergency isn't it?"

"It's never worked before!"

"We've never had Rei before!"

I want to argue, but can't. If there was ever a time to test our tactics, it's now, before things get really dangerous. "Fine," I tell him. He grins and shouts the news to Greymon, who pops us a thumbs up. I turn back to Rei. She tosses another Grenade at the oncoming swarm – dead center and a little low. The blast does as intended, snapping off several Gizmon from their roots and sending them flying across the desert sands. Some of them survive, bouncing around and firing at their buddies. Most of them fade into nothing.

Five left.

The unscathed Gizmon turn their focus back to Rei and fly forward. Greymon and Garurumon aren't in position yet; we'll need to time this right if we want it to work. I'm not sure we'll get it. Rei stands nervously, waiting as they approach. Raise my hand to give the signal as the Gizmon…

Fly right past her?

The five of us blink in unison as the Gizmon don't even attempt to fire on Rei. Weird? Very, considering their behavior up till now. They fly across the desert, circling around Rei's supply bag: which is even better now, because there's less chance of Rei being hurt.

I set a hand on her shoulder and pull her away. "How many grenades are on that thing?"

"Un… Four!"

"You can only use one more!" I point to where we need it. "Can you do it?"

"I…"

"Can you do it Tamer!"

"Ack! Sir, yes sir!"

Like a drill sergeant. My professors would be pleased.

I run back to Tai. Rei stays, steeling her will. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Garurumon's nod, and I know that our partners are finally in position. I turn to my leader. "Ready?"

Tai grins. "Aren't I always?"

The Gizmon circle Rei's things for a moment more before turning back to us. By then it's too late. They're already in our trap.

I drop my arm. "Rei!"

She tosses the Grenade to the ground, kicking up sand with the explosion. The sand explosion does them no damage. Nor was it intended to. It was meant to remind them of Rei. The Gizmon refocus their sites on her and fly forward, though they still seem hesitant to attack. But now our partners are in perfect position, and the Gizmon can't do anything about it.

"Just like we practiced guys!" I shout at our Digimon.

Greymon snarls. "You got it!"

Tai snarls. "Take this-"

"-Our joint attack!" I howl!

__They scream together. _** "Double Tempest!"**_

Greymons' flame and Garurumons' storm wrap round one another forming a twister of energy aimed directly at our buggy friends. Caught in its pull, the remaining robots have no choice but to spin about in the air, snapping their connection with the black wires and leaving them berserk in its force. They are flown everywhere; bouncing into the sands, crashing into rocks, shattering into a million pieces.

Holy crap. It worked.

We'd been trying to get that going since last year, but never had a chance to apply it in real-time. Our only other live attempt had failed so miserably I told Tai never to speak of it again. A NiseDrimogemon thief had stolen feed from a Yokomon village. We'd tried it on him, but the angle was all wrong and the attacks just ended up negating themselves. We ended up chasing after that guy all day. I hear he's digging them a new hot springs as penance.

Either way it works. The remaining Gizmon are reduced to nothing more than piles of Data that dissipated across the wind. We take a breath. That had been tougher than before. They were learning.

Rei however, is bouncing with joy. "That was awesome! The way you worked together… I saw how good you were before but not from the beginning. The four of you are like a one-hundred percent combination or-"

"What the hell were you thinking!"

"Hn?"

Okay, maybe I'm being a little forceful, but my adrenaline is pumping and I'm angry. "Your initial explosion could have triggered off an assault, or it could have alerted this thing that we're close!"

"I… S-sorry."

"Matt, go easy on her…"

"She has military level grenades strapped to her chest right now. She was riding with those on the whole time. In my back!"

"Oh." He blinks, and for once is actually on my side today. "That probably wasn't a good idea Rei."

"B-but I only wanted to help!"

"That was still a pretty stupid thing to do," I deplore her. "If you wanna help me protect Tai you have to think smarter."

"…Protect me?" Tai looks hilariously offended.

I shake my head. "You're a Tamer, I get that. But this is a serious situation and we're in charge here. You've gotta listen to us, we've been doing this for a while now. If we say no to something there's a reason. You could have been killed just now, you know that? Why would you be so reckless?"

She fidgets, her hands catching hold of the grenade strap. "You two have partners and you two have digivices. I have nothing. I want to save the partner whose face I can't remember and _I have nothing_." She raises her brown eyes to me. "Please. Let me help you!"

Her hazel eyes are dancing again, the night light bouncing off their orbs and breaking through the wall I'd been trying to maintain. I can't help but think of her when I see Rei. And that's what has me so messed up.

But I've only been thinking about my problems. I haven't been worried about hers.

I don't know who she is. But I know she believes she's speaking truth. And I know this is killing her inside. Tai's right when he says I'm being hard on her. And my only reason is because she scares the crap out of me. That's not good enough. Not now. Not with something foreign growing beneath us. I don't have time to be fearful. I sigh, and what anger I had left evaporates into the night. "Alright."

"Nn?"

Tai blinks. "You sure Matt?"

"We're already too far out to make you put them back, and it's not like this thing had no idea we were coming – it's attacked us before." I sigh, slipping a hand through my blonde hair and cursing myself for leaving the comb at home. Still, she did help in her own little way. She nearly got killed trying to protect me in the process. I don't trust her, not fully. But I am prepared to let my guard down a little. "It's alright."

She looks shocked for a moment. And then her face breaks out into a wide smile. "Thank you!"

Tai looks at me. "Matt, we need to keep moving."

I nod. If she's right, we're only a few minutes away from her ruins. I sigh and smile at her. "Be careful with those things," I tell her. "We don't know the extent of damage they can do."

"They kill bad guys don't they?" She asks with an edge to her voice. "That's good enough for me."

Tai whistles, impressed. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"Um…" She smiles at him. "When you're on my bad side you'll know."

She heads off towards a waiting Garurumon, who eyes her cautiously. Tai turns to me with a mischievous grin. "She's getting feisty."

"Keep your pants on." I mumble, and he actually laughs.

"C'mon," Rei cries from the back of Garurumon. "We're almost there!"

We mount up and keep moving, at a slower pace just to be careful. We leave behind a trail of burnt sand and sizzling data. Ahead are Rei's ruins; the first thing she truly remembers, and possibly the last known location of our missing researchers. It doesn't take us long.

"There it is."

We see the structure in the distance, just as the last rays of sunlight disappear from the sky and night fully takes hold. With the darkness comes the small sparks of light dotting the sky. What worries us is that the sands below hold red stars of their own. The Gizmon are in full concert around Rei's ruins. They aren't trying to hide. They won't be popping up and surprising us this time. They want us to know they are there. Whatever is inside is done playing around.

But there's more. More than just the feeling of apprehension at the thought of another battle with these things. More than just the unease directed to the girl who holds my waist. More than just the concern that my best friend's attraction to her is merely a mirror for his attraction to someone else… More than all that, the thing that worries me is far simpler.

I feel like we've been here before.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**8**

**Digimon**


	9. Chapter 9

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**A/N:** So I made a poster for Godfall with some clever editing and my 'Gimp II' software. The poster contains SPOILERS, so if you wanna wait till the story's over before viewing it's your call. If you wanna go ahead, you can find the link on my profile page under the Digimon: Godfall synopsis. It should take you to my photobucket account.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 9

* * *

We've definitely been here before.

Which is kind of confusing me, because Rei's ruins aren't really anything specific. Honestly it's just a large pile of rocks with what looks to be an artificial entrance drilled into the side for the researchers. If I had to guess what we can see is about the size of a convenience store, though it does look like there's something going on underneath.

We lie flat on our stomachs to avoid being seen. Behind us, Rei stands with our Digimon holding Izzy's briefcase, waiting for a word from the two of us. Below, we see the lights from erect Gizmon everywhere, dotting the desert sands like stars in the sky. They stand between us and the ruble that makes up Rei's ruins, encircling them in a defensive posture. Whatever exists inside knows we're coming, and it looks like it doesn't want us in.

The problem isn't just the Gizmon though. It's the location. This place, like the ruins earlier (before we met Rei) is sending cold shivers up my spine. It's all just too familiar.

For some reason I remember the laugh of a terrible Elvis impersonator.

I try to shake it off. I don't think Etemon is still alive – at least not as Etemon. He's probably been reformatted by now. Whether he remembers his past life or not is doubtful – few Digimon ever remember much about what happened before they passed on. T.K.'s partner Patamon, who's experienced digital death first hand, said it was like dreaming: you never know what's real and what wasn't, you just roll with the punches and hope your memories are right.

Still though, this place is reminding me of him… and someone else.

Something about the way the pile of rubble dips below the surface of the sand makes me feel like I have a name on the tip of my tongue. But I'm not sure I can place it. I know the coliseum is still up, so that's out. And I remember the Pyramid being destroyed by MetalGreymon… just before a black hole vortex thing sucked me back to my world.

I frown. Servers' deserts have been encroaching deeper into the forests lately. If not Etemon, could it have buried Myotismon's castle?

I shake my head. Myotismon is _dead_ dead. I'm sure of that. The rest of this line of questioning is just annoying. We've been through a lot of places over Server. A lot of them bad. Spending all day trying to figure out which baddie is trying to kill us would waste time we don't have. Besides have bigger troubles to worry about. We can't focus on the past right now. We've got enough problems in the present as it is.

"This is it?" Matt whispers.

"This is the place alright," Rei notes behind us.

"I knew I should have brought my mono-scope," I grumble. "How many of them are there?"

"Forty or fifty," Matt ponders from his position. "I'm not sure."

"Too many," I decide. "We have to figure out how to get rid of some of them."

"Nn…" Matt makes a sound. "I think we may need a distraction."

I frown leaning up to meet his gaze. "What are you thinking?"

He sighs, tugging at the collar of his thin designer shirt that's doing little to protect him in this cold. "We don't need two of us to input the codes. If Rei can get one of us in, then once we pass whatever inner defenses they've got, we can slip in and establish contact."

I groan. "That's a big risk."

Matt raises an eyebrow. "We _could_ wait a little while longer for Davis and Ken."

I frown. "That's even worse."

"Then aside from outright charging in and getting our butts kicked I think that's the best option."

I sigh. "One stays out, one goes in?"

"Right." He nods.

I frown. "Whoever's the decoy's going to have to deal with a lot of Gizmon though. How are we supposed to handle that?"

"Nn… Their lines can't run forever, right? Maybe they run out of wire after a certain distance. If we can pull them as far as you can away from the ruins."

I furrow my eyes. "Or maybe they're only programmed to stop at a certain spot."

He sighs. "Either way, we've seen them stop when we didn't engage. I'm thinking we keep them engaged as long as possible before bolting. Jusst keep ducking and weaving. They'll follow, leaving a gap for the others to ride in with Rei and punch our way through."

"It's going to be dangerous."

"Yeah." He nods. "Like Etemon all over again."

I frown again. _A lot like Etemon all over again_.

But it's a solid enough plan. One of us will draw the enemies' fire away from the ruins while the other makes a mad dash to the target. The problem comes with numbers. When we executed this plan on the crazy Elvis impersonator and his henchmen we were six Digidestined strong. We had three launching long range attacks and drawing out the armies while me, Izzy, Agumon and Izzy's partner Tentomon managed to slip inside a crazy upside down pyramid unnoticed. From what I hear the kids outside got thoroughly thwacked.

That was seven years ago. And we don't have six Digidestined. We could probably wait for Imperialdramon to show up, but I don't want to sit on my but while people are suffering. The last time we were worried about one girl – Sora. And _yes_, she _was/is_ important to me. But this time we've got a whole team to be concerned for. And they've been inside far longer.

We don't have time to wait. We just don't.

I crawl backwards until I believe I'm out of the Gizmon's line of sight and rise up. "Right. It's us then."

Matt blinks on the ground. "Tai?"

"It's alright. Garurumon's faster than Greymon, so you two can reach the ruins in no time.

And besides, Greymon is tougher."

Garurumon glares at me. "I don't know about that…"

"You're both equal over all," I turn to explain. "But Greymon is better at long range bombardment, and that's what we need if we're going to clear enough of a path for you guys to get through. Besides, his scales are tough enough to resist laser fire for a while in case we get swarmed."

"See," Greymon snorts.

"Doesn't make you better," Garurumon growls.

"Enough you two!" Matt's voice is stern and quick.

Our Digimon catch the hint from Matt's tone and hang their heads sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"Sorry…"

Matt sighs. He backs away from the ridge and joins the rest of us, dusting off the sand from his shirt. "We're all a little tense. It's alright. Tai, I think you and Greymon should set up on that hill and start your assault. Try to keep them confused."

"Alright. We'll attack from different places at once," I smile.

"Right."

"While we're doing that, you and Rei will make a beeline to the ruins and find a way in."

He nods. "One goes in, one stays out."

I grin and slap my friend on the shoulder. "This is why you're my XO."

"But… Um… What if we can't?"

We turn to Rei, who looks more than a little worried. Matt regards her. "Then we retreat and wait for Davis and Ken."

"Don't worry though," I tell her through a smile. "You'll get in. I believe in you."

She blinks. "I… Okay. If you say so."

I nod and gather my breath. "Alright. We've got a plan, and we've got the advantage this time. I say we quit letting these things sneak up on us and we get the drop on them for a change."

"Here here!" Greymon chuckles.

"Mnn!" Garurumon nods.

"Alright fearless leader," Matt gives me a grin. "You give the signal."

I nod. I turn towards Greymon when I notice Rei smiling at me, still clutching the phone. I offer a hand. "Oi, Rei. You don't have to carry that heavy thing. Me and Greymon can hold onto it."

She blinks. "Um… It's okay. I-I can carry it."

"Oh?"

"I want to be helpful and… I don't mind Taichi."

I raise a mocking eyebrow at her, and her face turns flush. "Hey, just Tai is fine. You sound like my mom."

"Hnn… T-a-i,"she attempts. But her face scrunches up when she says it, as if my name suddenly sounded hollow to her. She makes a face when she looks back up at me. "B-but, then we can't be zero and one…"

"Eh?"

"Rei and Ta-i-chi."

I blink. She's starring at me with those hazelnut browns. Ah, what the heck. "Oh, alright. _Rei and Ta-i-chi_."

She smiles. "Right. I won't let you down!"

"We've got to get going," Matt interrupts us, his blue eyes clearly passing judgment. I make a face, but I don't say anything. No time to be mad.

We split up, moderately confident that the plan should work – in theory. Greymon dips low for me and I take a step up, once again resting on the back of his neck. Matt climbs up Garurumon's fur, then turns to offer a hand to Rei. She hesitates, spinning on her heel to face me. "T-Taichi… If… If this doesn't work, I wanna say that I-"

"Uh-uh! Don't say it," I yell down to her. "You'll jinx the whole thing."

"Eh?"

I lean over Greymon's neck, smiling down at her. "You can't have any doubt in us Rei. You've got to have the courage to trust us. Believe me, it'll work."

"Taichi…"

I flash her a 'thumbs-up'. "Don't worry, I won't let you down either."

She smiles and nods back, before taking Matt's hand and mounting the back of Garurumon again, holding the metal briefcase snuggly in her hands. The desert sun has completely disappeared from the world, and our only light now is coming from the Digi-moons and the floating orbs of Data that look like stars. When everybody appears ready for this, I raise my hand.

I see Rei tense up and Matt hold tighter to Garurumon's fur. Greymon breaths a cloud of smoke: his gut already building with energy for the coming battle. Below us is a swarm of metallic digital life-forms that have shown us no sentience but only calculated menace. Beyond, is something alive.

We're only gonna get one shot at this, I remind myself. Whatever happens, we've got to get beneath that ruble. We've got to find out what this thing is, and what it wants. We've got to save the Digiworld. I close my eyes. I take a deep breath.

I drop my hand.

**_"Nova Blast!" _**

Garurumon is off to the side and out of the way, his precious cargo in tow. Greymon's big ball of fire hurtles down towards the Gizmon horde, landing dead center among them and deleting whole groups of them at once. My partner fires another blast, his digital attack acting like mortar shells being lobbed at an encroaching enemy. The Gizmon finally take notice and begin dropping below the desert floor.

"Move it Greymon!"

He grunts and leans forward. We hurtle across the dunes at twenty to thirty kilometers an hour, charging as close as we can. The red lights of Gizmon across the sand light up, and I have to duck to avoid getting blasted. Greymon roars; satisfied that he's ticked off enough robot bumble-bee things, and starts looping outwards, across the perimeter and away from Matt and the others. I look back to see a swath of Gizmon speeding after us, both above and below ground. Good. They've locked onto us.

Time for Matt to work some magic.

Most of the Gizmon are after us when he makes his move. Out of the corner of my eye I see Garurumon hurtling like a rocket at full speed towards the ruins, dashing through the smoke of Greymon's attack and crossing for the most part undaunted. He's still got a long way to go, but if this keeps up they'll make it in no time. I grin. "Let's keep it up buddy!"

"Mnn!" Greymon grunts and fires another _Nova Blast_ from our new position, the ball of flame landing just ahead of Garurumon and dashing more Gizmon before they even notice. A few survive long enough to aim their fire on Garurumon but he's past them before it comes of anything, and another ball of flame hits them square.

"Here they come," I warn my partner and he grunts in preparation.

The first few pop out behind us laying out fire. Greymon takes off running back towards the hilltops. The Gizmon give chase until we pass the hills. They promptly freeze then, cords shaking in the desert sand with the sudden friction. I grin. Maybe Matt's right. Maybe they're too far removed from their cables to keep going. I nod to no one in particular and pat my partner on the neck. "Alright Greymon, fire!"

Greymon turns and opens his jaws, spitting flame. **_"Nova Blast!"_**

The ball of fire would be dead on – if the Gizmon didn't swing away to avoid it. I groan. So our hunch that the point that the Gizmon stopped at was some kind of intelligence override is wrong; for the insects dodge all over to get away from the flame.

That's when I notice that the Gizmon that were following us have switched directions. I tell Greymon to aim at them, and he does, destroying a couple. The problem is they're not responding to us. Which means that they're not stopping because their line is low.

They're intentionally stopping for…

I turn my head to see how Matt's doing, suddenly very worried. Garurumon's slowed down considerably. The Gizmon who aren't tracking us are swirling around him preparing to fire. I see his _Howling Blaster_ shoot towards them, and because there are so many he manages to score direct hits on some. But he's getting overwhelmed.

"Keep firing Greymon!" I order, and my partner lets l oose more of his flame. But it isn't doing us any good anymore. The Gizmon are locked onto their new target, and even through Greymon's _Nova Blast_ is scoring directs on several of their number, they refuse to even turn our way.

They're after her, I realize. They're after Rei.

I don't know why – if it's true then my suspicions aren't as accurate as I thought. But we're in serious trouble now.

And they know it too.

I try to get Greymon to distract the horde more but we both know it's useless at this point. Our Gizmon escort has completely turned away from us and are heading for Matt and Rei who aren't even halfway across the expanse yet. The Gizmon catch up to them quickly, pelting them with laser fire. Garurumon tries to keep going but he's swarmed. One of the Gizmon get lucky and strike Garurumon in the foreleg, running him off balance. He slips in the sand, his riders tossed into the air and falling hard into the desert below.

Ishida isn't getting up.

"Matt!" I call. I know he can't hear me, but I can't help it. _He won't move_!

"They're gonna get pinned down!" Greymon rumbles in shock.

The Gizmon are swirling over head, circling like buzzards for the kill. From my vantage I can see Rei stirring and finally slipping over to check on Matt. Garurumon is back up and growling and snaps his jaws at them, but unless he does something spontaneous they're all in trouble. Seemingly realizing this, I see Garurumon take a deep breath.

**_"Ice Wall!"_**

Garurumon opens his mouth and spins on his paws, and a thick sheet of Ice builds around his party, forming a semi-circular wall for protection. It's not the best defense, but the wall is thick enough that laser fire only chips away at it instead of destroying it outright, and forces the Gizmon to swing around where there's less of a chance to dodge for them. It also paints their group in a corner, and when Garurumon's cornered there's no one nastier.

Greymon growls. "That's not gonna hold them forever…"

I nod. "C'mon Greymon!"

"Mnn!"

We dash towards them, throwing caution to the wind. Below, the Gizmon swarm around Garurumon's ice wall, but he shoos them away with his ice breath. He can't keep that up forever. At least, not by himself.

He does have a pretty girl with hand grenades with him though.

With determination, Rei tosses the robe again. It settles in the sand in front of her. I see her reach for the strap across her torso and hurl another grenade at the swooping insectoids. One of them is caught directly by the blast, briefly being engulfed in flame before evaporating into thin air. The rest react like schools of koi if a rock is dropped in the middle of their pond – disperse, only to focus once more. Rei takes several steps back, but the Gizmon strangely don't assault her again. That gives us a little time to swoop to their rescue,

**_"Nova Blast!"_**

Greymon takes out another with pinpoint accuracy. It sputters out formation before disappearing in the sand. We roar into battle, flame pouring from his gaping maw and throwing Gizmon left and right. It takes us a few moments to reach our friends, knocking away Gizmon left and right until we too are nearly covered by Garurumon's _Ice Wall_.

**_"Fire Wall!"_**

As soon as we're within the corner, Greymon opens his mouth and sets the ground in front of him aflame. A ring of fire encircles the rest of the Ice wall, sealing us off. The Gizmon have to withdraw from the heat, and we're given a much needed breather from their assault. I take a deep breath and turn to find Matt conscious, clutching his chest in obvious pain but very much alive.

"T-Tai!" He struggles.

Rei clasps her hands together in joy. "Taichi!"

Garurumon is less than thrilled to see us though. "Greymon you idiot!"

Greymon blinks. "What? I just saved your life!"

"You attached a wall of fire to my wall of ice! You're melting our defenses!"

Greymon snorts smoke. 'Well it's not my fault your element is weaker than mine."

"I am _sooo_ gonna freeze your tail when we're done!"

"Knock it off," Matt struggles to an upright position.

"Matt! Are you alright?"

He grunts, a pale hand clutching his left side. "I'm fine… T-take Rei and get to the ruins. Go!"

I blink. "Are you crazy? I'm not gonna leave you out here alone!"

"Go! I can handle this. Rei, give me your robe!"

She blinks. "Why?"

"I don't think they're tracking you," he tells us. "Just what you look like."

She blinks. "Eh? But why?"

"They were aiming at the robe just now," he points out while taking the robe from Rei's hands. "Not you. They've been programmed to take out anyone with this I'll bet."

She hesitates. "B-but before."

"Standard defense protocol. These things must be reactionary by default. If something gets too close they attack. We were okay till they saw this. It's only when you wore it that they actively went after you. Something about it must be triggering a hunting mechanism. Once there's no stimulus…"

"There's no need to attack," I nod. Sounds plausible.

"Right. They think Rei's part of the research team. I'm gonna turn that against them."

I blink and then, realizing what he's suggesting, grab hold of his collar. "Are you insane! You're hurt!"

"Nn… Busted rib wiring. It'll be broken when I get home I bet. Nn…" He pushes me off of him, wiping sand from his face. "But that doesn't matter. We have to get in there, and I'll just slow Rei down like this. Go!"

"My wall is dying," Greymon warns us.

"My wall is _melting_!" Garurumon reminds us as well.

I nod a short acknowledgement, but I can't just let him go through with this by himself. What he's suggesting isn't just popping up into the Digiworld for an adventure, this is an injured Digidestined taking on an army by himself. And now I feel like such a dunce for coming up here without backup. "I can't just leave you here!"

I make a move to retrieve him but he raises a hand, halting my progress. "One goes in, one stays out! We planned for this," he reminds me. "I'm not going to have you ruin two plans in a row!"

I shake my head. "There's no way you can handle all of them by yourself."

"Don't be ridiculous," he glares as if offended. "It's like you said. Greymon and Garurumon are equal. Give us both the same job, and we can get it done. Right?"

"Mmn!" Garurumon nods.

I stare at him, worried. "Matt…"

"Hurry up you idiot!" He's yelling at me, but he can't help smiling. "You want to live forever!"

My breath catches in the back of my throat, and I can't help but stare in amazment at him. His blue eyes are on fire right now, blazing from the pain in his chest and the will to see this through to the end. A long time ago I couldn't stand this prettyboy. And now he's willing to risk his life to keep our mission going. I smirk in spite of myself. Matt Ishida is one of a kind.

"Jerk." I tell him. "That's _my_ line."

Matt smiles. No more words need saying to each other. We've got this.

Still, it's nice to have insurance.

"Garurumon."

"Nn?"

"You keep Matt alive and I'm buying you the biggest Reese's cup I can find. I promise!"

Briefly, the giant wolfs long tongue falls from his jaws, and his eyes roll back in ecstasy. Matt pops him just above the knee with his good arm and I laugh, in spite of it all.

Beyond our wall of fire and ice I can hear the Gizmon churning around, awaiting their turn. Rei runs over and hands her robe to Matt. He needs help getting is on, but when it's done you can hardly tell the outfit beneath it costs almost as much as my college textbooks. "You gonna be okay?"

He shoots me a cocky grin I could be proud of before turning to my partner. "Greymon."

"Yeah?"

His humor disappears somewhere. "…Keep an eye out would you?"

"Hmm…"

The look on his face tells me I'm missing something, but that's alright. I think I have an idea what he meant… and I'm actually not that mad at him anymore. He reaches for Rei again. "Hand me the phone. It'll only slow you two down."

She blinks and nods. "Nn… Alright," she says as she hands it to him.

"Be careful," I tell him as he mounts his partner.

"You too."

Garurumon trots in front of the wall of fire, which has died considerably since it started. We can see the Gizmon on the other end, their eye flashing through the flames. So what happens to them next is totally their fault - they should have gotten better camo.

_**"Howling Blaster!"**_

The ice ray runs through the flame and still manages to take out a Gizmon with little effort. The flame falls low thanks to the cold blast, opening a path for the giant wolf. Matt kips the side of Garurumon and then they're off, Rei's robe hung tight around Matt's body. It's about time we put his scrawny, girlish figure to good use. And amazingly, my XO's right. The main contingent of Gizmon is after them, firing at Garurumon's legs, trying to keep him still. That leaves enough of a space for us. I grab Rei's hand. "C'mon!"

She nods and runs with me. Ahead, Greymon rams straight through Garurumon's ice wall headfirst, shocking a few Gizmon who were in the way. We rush past them, their focus still on Matt and Garurumon, who appear to be making good time away from the ruins. Gizmon buzz above us, their lines draging through the sand and threatening to take us down. I have to let go of her hand briefly when one comes between us, but she reaches out and catches me as soon as she can. Meanwhile, Greymon is _loving_ his target practice.

We finally reach the entrance pipe, jutting from the ground like a straw from a milkshake. The door at the edge of the pipe is down, which is a bit disheartening, but I'm more worried about its size at the moment. It's big enough so that me and Rei can comfortably run, but there's no way Greymon would fit. Which means we're going to have to reduce his size…

"Greymon!"

He grunts. "I got'ya. Low bridge!"

He dedigivolves to Agumon: my partner trotting to my side and standing protective guard of me and Rei while we sort things out. The Gizmon are still off with Matt, but we have no idea how long that will last. We look around for a means of entering and find a small key lock device at the door. I frown. "A eight key lock. Okay. We can figure this out..."

"Move," Rei pushes me out of the way.

I blink. "Eh?"

She presses a few buttons manically and pulls me back when she's finished. There is the sound of ancient motors churning around old gears as the door slowly pulls itself open. Agumon gulps and I raise an eyebrow, turning to the girl. "What was it?"

"_Password_."

I make a face. She smiles at me. "C'mon Ta-i-chi. Let's go save the world together!" She takes my hand in her own, and I feel the warmth of human skin. We slip inside the darkness, Agumon right behind us; rushing towards a creature that already knows we're coming. The door closes behind my back. It's an adventure alright. A real grade-A adventure.

I just hope we have a happy ending.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**9**

**Digimon**


	10. Chapter 10

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 10

* * *

I'm praying for a happy ending.

I cough, and immediately wince up. The pain in my side is nauseating, but I have to keep going. We have to give Tai and Rei as much time as they need to get inside of those ruins. I kip Garurumon's side with my feet and lean forward, wordlessly urging my partner to move faster. Behind us, the Gizmon have focused their deadly sight on me, and are spraying the air around us with laser fire.

If you would have told me this morning that I'd be getting shot at by a bunch of metalic cycloptic bugs with a wire shoved up their butts I would have believed you. This is, after all, the Digiworld. If you would have told me that a psychotic part of me was having fun risking my life on a trick, I would have thought you and Tai shared a brain. But as my free hand grips Garurumon's fur and my other splits duties of holding the robe together while clutching my torso, I can't help but smile. _You'd better appreciate this when it's all said and done, Tai Kamiya_.

Suddenly the laser fire stops, and the Gizmon behind us halt in mid-air. Garurumon slides his paws into the sand, kicking up dust from his sudden stop. The Gizmon have all turned, their red eyes facing back towards the ruins. I can't see much in the darkness, but I hear the turning of far away gears before the slamming of a door echoes across the desert.

They know they've been tricked.

The Gizmon squeal: new information runs through their systems and they all turn back to us. I give them a sheepish grin, and toss the robe off my shoulders and let the metal briefcase fall to the ground. They focus on the robe for a moment before squealing again. Whatever is controlling them is pissed off now. They surround us, forming a circle so that we won't be able to escape. Not that it matters anymore.

Tai and Rei are inside. No more running.

Behind us, the earth erupts as even more Gizmon make their presence known on the battlefield. We're surrounded. The Gizmon have circled about and locked us in a huge ring of wires and metal, their eyes flashing an angry red. I wipe my nose and dismount my partner. He growls, worried. I place a hand on his fur. I think we may be alright.

A long time ago, when I was an eleven year old jerk, I received a little trinket from the bottom of a well. The medallion gave focus to a great power I had been granted. My hand absently reaches for it now: though it hasn't swung from my neck in seven years I'll never forget the feeling. A cool breeze flows over the back of my neck that wasn't there before. Everything goes blue for a moment, and I can't help but smile. A sense of camaraderie washes over me then. A feeling of trust. _Friendship_… my virtue. I look down towards my digivice: it rumbles in my hands with extraordinary power, it's casing now a curious shade of dark blue. I turn back to my partner.

"Garurumon…"

Not for long.

**_"Garurumon Digivolve to…"_**

In a moment my partner lights up, brightening the night around us. He howls and hunches over, shifting and changing as the Gizmon swirl overhead. The fur from his paws peels off as the wireframe beneath morphs into knuckles. His back legs lengthen and straighten, his claws digging into the earth. He rises to his full height, standing secure on his new legs as his transformation enters its final stages. Through the oval of light that has surrounded him I can see him. He looks like a roughneck biker; complete with faded jeans, fingerless gloves, a spiked shoulder pad, and a foul attitude. I blink and his digivolution is complete. He's no longer just Garurumon. He's…

**_"WereGarurumon!"_**

The Gizmon back away from him: unsure of what to do. He sneers, raises his two middle fingers towards the swarm, and curses in English; telling them to bring it on. My face finds my palm in the dark. I'm never letting Gabumon hang out with my band again.

Apparently the Gizmon don't like to be insulted. Or they've been given new direction. Either way, they come charging after us. That's their first mistake when dealing with my partner.

WereGarurumon pounces on the first Gizmon, his hardened claws ripping through its data like knives through aluminum foil. A second fires on him, but he's already leapt away. The beam collides with the first Gizmon, deleting it instantly. The second fires again, but is off target. WereGarurumon is upon it in an instant.

The Gizmon back away from him, reestablishing their tactics. My partner is forced to wait. What WereGarurumon gains in agility, he loses in range. While he can still fire off a cool blast from his maw if need be, it's not nearly as forceful as Garurumon's _Howling Blaster_. WereGarurumon prefers to fight with his hands, getting down and dirty. WereGarurumon is twice as tough, and twice as strong as Garurumon is normally. That's not the issue.

The problem isn't strength. It's timing.

When the Arukenimon and Mummymon invaded our world, the guardian spirit Azulongmon gave us back the power within our crests; albeit in limited form. Meaning that while WereGarurumon clearly has an advantage over these things, he's got a shelf life. My partner has maybe nine minutes left before he reverts back to Gabumon.

Which means we have to make this battle fast.

I dive for the safety of the ground, while my partner spins in the air. The lasers get dangerously close, but he's always a fraction of a second ahead, just enough to avoid serious damage. Still others come; more and more with each passing second. WereGarurumon dodges their best fire but I know he can't keep it up forever. If we don't do something, right now, we're going to be swamped.

Time to press the attack.

**_"Wolf Claw!"_**

WereGarurumon's claws rip through the air, leaving streaks of red energy crossed together flying towards the Gizmon armies. The attack crashes into their swarm, severing some from their wires and destroying at least a row. They fire again, but he's just too agile; dodging their lasers with the grace of an acrobat. When he lands he sends another shockwave from his claws into the gathered Gizmon wall, destroying several. He's not making much of a dent, but a dent is being made. Just when I think we may get out of this however, the Ishida luck kicks in again.

Some of the Gizmon begin to glow.

WereGarurumon snarls and leaps backwards towards me. We stare with matching grimaces as several Gizmon wireframe begins to shift and morph into one another, until they are no longer 'many', but now only 'one'. Towering above us both is a mecha of monsterous design, lifted into the air by mechanical wings and connected at its base by the same snake like wires that it's buddies are bonded to. It's long, green arms extend from the side of it's lumpy body, lengthening into three claws. The sand about it's feet shifts as it shrieks, it's transformation finished.

"Matt…" WereGarurumon growls beside me.

I frown. Last time we faced this guy we had Tai with us, and it still took a lucky distraction to take it down. It's just us against them this time around. With maybe seven minutes left for WereGarurumon. I grimace. If Tai were here, he'd say 'this is where things get interesting' and I'd fear for my safety. But Tai's not here. And I'm not afraid.

"Go! WereGarurumon!"

"Mm!"

He rushes forward, his arms spread wide to the outside as his long legs pace towards his enemy. The mecha reaches for him, green fingers stretching out like Palmon's vines. WereGarurumon flits to the side, narrowly avoiding the claws and keeps running, The machine continues to grab for him, but WereGarurumon's agility favors him well here, until he finally reaches striking range.

**_"Full Moon Kick!" _**

He howls as he flips backwards, the claws of his feet flashing white as they connect with the 'head' of the giant mecha. The attack disorients the robot, and it stumbles back a few steps, landing in the wall of Gizmon. It's compatriots push him back towards WereGarurumon, who lays into the Gizmon mecha with quick jabs to its 'stomach'. The mecha swings with it's other arm, but WereGarurumon ducks underneath, throwing more punches like a prized boxer or one of those MMA guys. After a second swing misses the mark, WereGarurumon tires of playing _Takahiro Aoh and drives his claws into the side of the monstrous robot._

**_"Shadow Claw!"_**

Black smoke begins to seep out of the sides of the mecha as WereGarurumon drills his fingers deeper in his opponent. The Gizmon mecha resists for a moment, before his arms slink around my partner. I shout out a warning and WereGarurumon looks up. The iris is glowing crimson again.

WereGarurumon manages to yank his claws out of the Gizmon robot and roll to the side just before the green claws entrap him in position. The iris flashes red as the massive blast races through the night. I cover my face to keep the wind out of my eyes, but the heat from the ray causes my skin to sizzle. The Gizmon mecha's attack destroys an entire section of his smaller buddies, though I doubt any of them possess the emotions necessary to care.

"WereGarurumon!" I shout.

He grunts an acknowledgement. The Gizmon mecha tries to turn and stop him. But it's too late for that. WereGarurumon has latched himself onto the monsters back, the claws on his feet digging into the monsters side. With a grunt he raises his fingers in the air, the black tips poised and ready.

**_"Wolf Claw!"_**

His hands literally rip into the back of the creature, slicing through metal and wiring and data and pulling the monster apart. A red 'X' burns its way through the robotic freak, letting me known that the attack has been effective. The Gizmon mecha slumps to its knees, the weight of WereGarurumon driving it to the ground. The battle is over; the Gizmon's Data is floating into the air already. I take a look around.

More Gizmon start glowing.

"WereGarurumon…"

He wipes his nose, watching the Gizmon shifting and changing. The first mecha hasn't even finished disappating and the others are already forming. In the end, the wall around us remains, but now we're joined by three more mecha, who close in on WereGarurumon. We face them with weary trepidation. One on one, WereGarurumon would be triumphant. Two on one, it would be close. But now we're being cornered on all four sides again. And as good as WereGarurumon is, he just won't be enough on his own. I swear. Of all the days to need MetalGarurumon.

The three Gizmon mecha take a final step forward. I grip my digivice.

**_"Desperado Blaster!"_**

A trail of bullets rips through the lead Gizmon mecha, cutting it down before it has the time to fight back. The others swoop around in an attempt to target their assailant. It is far too late.

Paildramon is on top of them.

WereGarurumon and I slink away as the dragon/wasp hybrid lets loose another volley, cutting through our attackers. The Gizmon regroup, opening their wall and laying out suppressant fire on their new foe while the remaining mecha recover. Paildramon out paces them easily. Ahead, I see the figures of both Davis Motomiya and Ken Ichijouji racing to meet us.

"_Wir sind__hier__jetzt_!" Ken says in perfect German. I'm envious.

Davis beams when he reaches us. "We heard you needed help."

"Don't flatter yourself. We totally had it handled." I lie.

"What are those things?" Asks Ken.

"Beats us." WereGarurumon grumbles. "We're calling them Gizmon."

Ken frowns. "Gizmon?"

"Yeah… Gizmo monsters."

"…_Gizmo_?"

My giant were-wolf snorts. "Don't look at me."

Davis goes to make a retort, but a massive beam that kicks up the wind around us removes the distractions. The surviving mecha are back on their feet, irises pulsing red while their bug like siblings buzz around them. "I don't think we have time to play with these guys," Ken observes.

Davis nods. "Right. Paildramon!"

"Okay!" The dual voices that made up Paildramon's previous forms – ExVeemon and Stingmon – chimes the affirmative. Davis and Ken stand in front of me, their young faces struck with determination; their D3 digivices held firmly in their hands. The devices shriek with an enormous power, and Paildramon shines with the light of his next transformation.

**_"Paildramon, Mega Digivolve to…"_**

The fused Digimon's arms stretch out to incredible proportions, his armor thickening and darkening around him. His jaw, once hidden beneath Paildramon's mask, burst forth, revealing teeth the shape of steak knives. He triples in size in a matter of moments, losing his upright posture but gaining massive claws, a boney face plate, and a giant cannon housed perfectly between two leathery wings. In the end, he had become one of our most powerful allies. A Digimon we knew as…

**_"Imperialdramon!"_**

The world around me grows a little darker, as the giant dragon in the sky blocks view of the moons. The Gizmon light up the night in a sea or red lasers, but do little to nothing. Imperialdramon's hide is too thick, his armor is to strong, and his attitude could best be described as gleeful when it comes to an actual fight. He growls with disdain, his massive figure tilting down to the battlefield.

**_"Positron Laser!"_**

The cannon housed on the back of Imperialdramon lights up with gathering energy before launching a pure white projectile clear across the sands and landing square in the midst of the Gizmon. They evaporate with a squeal, bursting into a million points of data with the pressure. More blasts follow, Imperialdramon laying unholy siege against the enemy. The survivors turn to fire but their attacks are useless now. Imperialdramon exists on a level above them.

In seconds the field is cleared of visible Gizmon. Smoke rises from little craters in the ground where Imperialdramon's damage is most severe. Behind me, I hear Davis cheering their monster, while Ken offers more polite congratulations. I sigh with relief and turn to WereGarurumon. He's still frowning.

"What is it?"

He growls, his teeth flashing in the moonlight. "We're not done yet."

"What are you talking about?" Davis gloats at us. "We totally just kicked their –"

He doesn't have time to finish his thought. The scorched earth before us yields as hundreds of black wires erupt from beneath the sands like flexible spears; each aimed at the giant dragon in the sky.

Davis balks. "What the –"

We take cover as the wires come dangerously close to us. Their target however is definitely Imperialdramon, who is wrapped by hundreds of coils in a matter of seconds. There is a hiss of steam, the wires begin to pull the great dragon out of the sky, snarling all the way down.

"Grr!"

"Imperialdramon, hang in there!" Ken shouts.

"You can't give up," echoes Davis.

It's no use. Imperialdramon continues to attempt at firing his Positron Cannon, but he is unable to aim the blast thanks to how taut the wires are. They begin pulling him closer to the ground, his digital makeup phasing from the strain. It would seem they have him.

Bad move on the life-forms part. It forgot about WereGarurumon.

**_"Wolf Claw!"_**

The boney nails on WereGarurumon's hands slash through the wires completely, severing them from the ground. A pair of wires shoots out after my partner, catching him off guard and knocking him off the ground. I watch as he flies, suffering from a critical hit. He glows again, and he shifts down the line all the way back to Gabumon; who falls hard in the sand below. I race towards him, cradling my partner in my arms. He yawns, with a smirk on his face. "Got 'em."

The wires shoot up again, but Imperialdramon has been released, the remaining coils dissipating in a haze of data. He roars and tilts forward, even as the rest of the wires shoot towards him.

Ken pales and signals to us. "Move!"

I lift Gabumon in my arms and we bolt as towards Imperialdramon's tail – trying to get as much distance between his mouth and us as possible. The giant dragon's jaw widens, even as the black wires snake up towards him.

**_"Mega Crusher!"_**

A single ball of white light, no bigger than Greymon's nova flame, flies from within Imperialdramon. But it burns through every wire that encounters it like nothing I've seen before. We leap in the air as it hits the ground, the shockwave sending us all flying as the night becomes day and the sands around the ruins burn. Briefly I hear the final shriek of the Gizmon as the desert becomes a dead-zone. Imperialdramon roars, victorious.

It takes a few moments for the glare to die down. We're standing a the edge of a newly formed crator of black carbon and glass thanks to perhaps the most powerful of Imperialdramon's attacks.

"And that's how it's done!" Davis declares with his hands on his hips

Ken frowns. "A little excessive but…"

"No, we had to get rid of them," I sigh. I rock my half-awake partner in my arms for a minute. "Gabumon are you alright?"

He sighes, stretching without a care. "I'm a little exhausted to tell the truth. And kinda hungry."

I set him down gently. He wobbles and grabs onto a pantleg for support. I fish into my free pocket and pull out three of our spare bars. "Granola?"

"Mm…"He nods emphatically. He snatches them from my hand – not that I mind – and rips into them with all the abandon of a starving priest off of his fast. I smile. Digimon have black holes for stomachs. I'm sure of it.

"Anymore of that?"

I look up to find Imperialdramon floating down towards us. His jaws don't move when he speaks, his words instead rumbling in my head. We've never been able to figure out how some of our partners talk without their jaws moving. Izzy's suggested telepathy before, but that's not quite it, as what we hear is only what they want to say, not shared thought.

Either way, I can only shrug at his request. "I've got a little left."

"That's okay Matt," says Ken as he turns to their fused partner. "Guys, we just ate on the way here."

"Aww nuts," rumbles the giant dragon's 'voice'. I shake my head. All the power in the universe and they still sound like little kids.

"Man, those guys were persistent," Davis grumbles.

"Tell me about it," I smile with relief. "Thanks again guys."

"Don't mention it," Imperialdramon rumbles.

"When you didn't respond to our emails we feared the worst," Ken explains.

I blink. "You sent emails?"

"Izzy did," Davis says. "He sent 'em right when we ported in."

Ken frowns, curious. "You didn't get them?"

I pull out my D-Terminal and take a look. The Vaccine Program V still flashes in the corner, but there's nothing in my personal inbox. I look up at them and shrug. "Nothing's reading."

Davis and Ken share a look. "We were afraid of this."

"What?"

Ken slides a hand through his dark black hair. "Before we got in, Izzy said there was something going on with his sensors."

"He said that to me too. But I got through to him didn't I?"

"Messages going out don't seem to have a problem," Ken explains. "Messages going in…"

I frown. "The signals aren't getting sent."

"That's about right."

I shake my head, my hand unconsciously reaching for my throbbing veins. "Great. We're flying bli… Nnd…"

Ken frowns again. "You okay?"

I take a deep breath. "I'm getting better. A blast knocked me around earlier, I think my wiring is bent."

The resident genius raises his eyebrows. "Yikes."

I wave him off. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. It's Tai we need to be concerned for."

"Is he's inside?"

I nod, suddenly feeling very somber. "Yeah."

Ken folds his arms. "What are we dealing with? Izzy said something about a giant organism that kills people by touch."

"We don't know if anyone's dead yet," I explain. "But a couple of missing researchers woke this thing up and now it's trying to expand across the Digiworld."

Davis blinks across from us. "Why not just let Imperialdramon nuke the thing?"

I sigh. "We wanted to try and reason with it first. This all could have been a big misunderstanding. We know this thing is alive and intelligent and wants to protect itself, but we don't know all the details. That's why Tai and Agumon went inside with Rei. To reason with it."

"And if he can't?" Asks Ken.

"We found a virus buster program they had developed to kill it. We were going to try and upload it if all else fails..."

"Wait, wait, wait, go back." Davis has both hands in the air as he steps towards us, Imperialdramon looming in the dark. "Who the heck is '_Rei'_?

I open my mouth to say something, but suddenly lose my tongue. After a moments hesitation I finally coble together the vaguest explanation I can think of. "She's… a girl we met along the way."

Ken raises an eyebrow. "A girl?"

"Mm…"

"She wasn't just a girl," Gabumon defends her beside me, and I'm suddenly really nervous. "She was very nice to us. She even gave us free granola."

I sigh. My partner munches his granola bar.

"What was she," asks Ken. "A Tamer or a tourist?"

"We think a Tamer but…" I shrug. "We don't really know for sure."

"Didn't you ask?"

I frown. "Yeah. We asked. She doesn't know either."

Davis blinks. "What, she has amnesia or something?"

"Or something," I tell him. "She thinks she used to be a Tamer but she doesn't remember much aside from going in with the team and coming out without memory of who she is. Supposedly. I have my doubts."

"Is she not trustworthy?" Ken asks.

I shrug again. "I just met her today. For all I know she could be a Digimon in disguise. Still, she knows more about the Gizmon than we do and she's saved our life twice now. If she's playing a game it's a very good one."

I let that settle for a moment.

"We should let Tai know we're here now, right?" Davis suggests, concern in his voice. "We gotta tell him to wait for us."

I nod, flipping my D-Terminal back open. "Right."

I type a brief message, letting Tai know the Gizmon have been defeated and to wait for reinforcements. I hit send, and wait for a reply. After a few minutes, nothing happens. I'm getting worried.

Davis frowns "What's wrong?"

"Either the D-Terminal's are still acting funny or he's ignoring me."

Ken raises an eyebrow. "Can you get anything through?"

I shake my head. "Nothing."

"Hmmnn…"

We all get quiet then. Our D-Terminals are our primary source of communication across great distances in the Digiworld. I'm not sure they've ever been this scrambled before. We're running blind down here without a means to warn somebody. If only we had some other means of communication…

The realization hits me like a fist to the gut. "Ah crud!"

Ken blinks. "What?"

"Izzy's briefcase! Did I leave it in…" I turn towards the massive crater between us and the ruins. Blood drains from my face.

"You mean this thing?"

I turn back to see Davis kicking at a metal object buried in the sand. I yelp, vindicated. The Ishida luck has faltered for now. "Ha! Now let's see if this thing still works."

With Gabumon's help I dig Izzy's briefcase out of the sand, unlatching it quickly. Ken pauses above me. "Matt where are you going?"

"I'm going to call Izzy. I wanna know if he's learned anything new."

Davis balks when I pull it out. "What the heck is that thing?"

Ken blinks. "Oh, Izzy finished his trans-dimensional phone?"

"…Why is it the size of a small dog?"

I ignore Davis, though I'm inwardly glad that our protégé is starting to think like me. I dial Izzy's number from memory, and soon I hear the hackers voice over the other end. _"Hello?"_

"Izzy!"

_"Matt? Prodigious! The phone still works! Did you find the problem?"_

I blink. "Problem?"

_"The mechanical problem. You ran into some difficulty and I had assumed you wouldn't be able to contact me with it again."_

I blink, turning back to Davis and Ken, who just shrug, unaware of my dilemma. "Eh… yeah, we fixed it. Listen Davis and Ken are here, but me and Tai had to separate for a little while."

_"Why? What for? Is he alright?"_

"He's fine Izzy. He's inside the ruins right now. He's going to try and reason with it, but we have a termination program from you guys. That should destroy it if things go sour right?"

_"I'd imagine so."_

"We've been trying to get into contact with him, but my emails aren't getting through. Can you see him up there?"

There is a shuffle at the other end. _"Barely. His signal's pretty faint, but it's moving."_

"Ken and Davis said you replied to my email. I didn't get it. What's going on?"

He sighs. _"It must be the wires. They must be blocking you're the closer you are to the nucleus."_

"It wasn't like this when we started."

_"It didn't know you were coming when we started."_

I sigh. "Great. Any word on what you guys are doing down here?"

_"It isn't us."_

I blink. "Eh?"

Izzy clears his throat. _"Well, it is in a legal sense I guess, but MAGAMI proper had nothing to do with this."_

"What's he saying?" Asks Davis. I shoo him off.

"What do you mean Izzy?"

_"You're dealing with a sub-branch of ours. The A.o.A."_

"We saw that on a couple papers a while back. What are they?"

Izzy sighs. _"The Artificial Origins Association. They were a research group that formed in nineteen-ninety nine after Myotismon's invasion and Digimon's second revelation. Their sole aim was to understand the mechanics of the Digiworld and how it came to be. But because of how early it was in our encounters with Digital life forms they could never make heads or tails of things. They kept trying to prove the Digiworlds existence via their computers alone, and they failed to use quantum mechanics to apply them to the mathematical base of the universal –"_

"Izzy I didn't understand any of that."

_"Are we breaking up again? I thought I'd moved to a better position..."_

I sigh. "No. I just didn't understand any of that."

He coughs on the other end. _"Er, sorry. Suffice it to say the A.o.A weren't looking at the big picture when they formed. It wasn't until Myotismon's second invasion that things really took off for them. Because of how much our reality was fluctuating at the time they were able to slide a small rover through a computer and make an early reading on the Digital World."_

"They broke into the Digital World without approval?"

"Who did?" Asks Davis again.

"The guys we're looking for," I tell him briefly.

_"At the time the UN's official stance on all matters Digital was mute. This was long before Tai's outburst at the UN summit."_

I nod. "Okay."

_"When the UN finally opened the gates to researchers, A.o.A was one of the first in line. However, they weren't exactly understanding of Digimon. For them, they were artificial. Unreal. They were to be tested and examined, not empathized with. They crossed the line when they tried to take Digieggs from Primary for experimentation by force. The UN had them booted out."_

"Where were we when this was going on?"

_"I believe you were starting your sophomore year."_

"Well yeah but… we should have known this."

_"Tai did."_

"Eh?"

_"Well, he didn't know who they were,"_ Izzy clarifies, _"but he was there when the Tamer who caught them logged the incident into the message board. He added it to his list of things to yell at the UN for."_

"Oh. Er, who stopped them?"

_"Koh."_

I whistle at the memory of a very good Guard Tamer with a Firamon for a partner. "Mm… That guy's good."

_"I know."_

I close my eyes, feeling the frustration building. "So how have they returned Izzy?"

_"Well, even though they'd been rather shady in their dealings with Digimon, they had made some progress, and MAGAMI was interested in getting a jump on the competition. They bought the A.o.A out in the winter of two-thousand three, just after they'd gotten their own Digital research permit."_

"But the camp… It looked like it had been there for a while."

_"It's the same camp they started from, just with added trimmings. MAGAMI bought the company out of bankruptcy for a low price and fielded them out as agents. They were supposed to follow the company line and share their research with us. I guess they haven't been so forthcoming."_

"But we saw MAGAMI plastered on just about everything there."

_"A.o.A borrowed some of our equipment. Except any weaponry – MAGAMI has a strict policy on not bringing human weapons to the Digitalworld. I don't know who those came from. I'd need to see their serial numbers to perform an expert track –"_

"Izzy…"

_"Sorry. Basically, that camp you found is the original A.o.A. camp, bolstered with MAGAMI equipment over the last few years."_ He pauses, his voice low over the speaker. _"I don't know about the guns."_

"You're saying then that MAGAMI had no idea all of this was going on?"

_"Not MAGAMI proper. A couple of the higher ups were in on it I think."_

I struggle to remember the names we saw in the tent. "Like Johnny… eh… Something. Or Aki... eh... Aki-something Kuraba…"

_"Kurata?"_

"Right."

_"Akihiro Kurata?"_

I nod. "That sounds right. Akihiro Kurata."

_"He was the lead A.o.A guy. We didn't renew his contract. If he was in there it wasn't on our tab."_

I think hard, and suddenly remember a name for sure. "What about Reiko Saibachi."

At her name, Izzy grows silent. _"…Reiko is down there?"_

"Uh… yeah. She's been signing off on most of their stuff."

_"…I don't know about that. She's never been A.o.A before. At least I don't think so. She was a head of my department when I got started before she switched over to a new project. I haven't seen her since. Are you sure it was her name?"_

"Positive."

He's quiet for a moment. _"Alright. I'll keep looking into it."_

I sigh. "Thanks."

_"A-anyway, the point is MAGAMI is about to get in a lot of trouble because one of our cells went rouge. I've emailed the company president about it. We'll see what he has to say."_

"Terrific."

_"Matt. About that other thing?"_

I look over to Davis, Ken, Gabumon and the looming Imperialdramon, suddenly worried my voice will carry. "…Did you do it?"

He doesn't sound to thrilled to be telling me._ "Yeah. I… I don't know what to tell you except… There's something sh-…"_

"Izzy, you're breaking up again." I tell him. "Can you repeat that?"

_"H-ng on. I'll try to link up to a str-nger signal source wh-le we're talking. It'll go in an- out f-r a few sec-nds but I sh-ld be able t- fix it." _He sighs_. This is wh-t happens when y-u only do a pr-ject h-lfw-. You miss pr-bl-ms like the digit-l entang-ment issue and la-k the struct-re to a-quately –"_

"Izzy."

_"R-ght. I jus- finis-ed analyzing my d-tab-se. No registered T-mer or Digid-stined that m-tches your profile fits under th- d-scription. Exc-pt for one. The onl- one -hat fits is –"_

"Sora." Saying it aloud chills me to the core. Ken and Davis frown around me, unsure of what this means. I don't care anymore. There is no Tamer like Rei. Not one. "I thought so."

_"It's de-per than that."_ Izzy says with apprehension. _"On a hunch I tracked her biomech-nical information in th- realization module while the five of you were riding towards the ruins. It was tough going though because you were all battling and moving and the tracking sensors had trouble collecting your base code in the module and –"_

"Japanese Izzy, please!"

_"I che-ked her base code from here." _He sighs as his signal starts to return. _"This girl? Rei…? There's something she's not t-lling you."_

* * *

**GODFALL**

**10**

**Digimon**


	11. Chapter 11

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 11

* * *

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

I blink. "What do you mean?"

She makes a face at me. "You're being really quiet."

I sigh and place my hands behind my head, stretching my back out as we sneak our way through the dark corridor. Across the walls, thankfully, are strips of lights that at least provide us some illumination, though we can't see more than a few meters in front of us at a time. We've been walking this way since the door closed behind us, trying to find our way through what has quickly become something of a maze. And during all that time I hadn't said a thing. "Nn… Sorry," I tell her sheepishly. "This place is giving me the creeps. I feel like I've been here before."

"Yeah?" She pauses. "On an adventure with Matt maybe?"

I blink. "Huh? Uh, yeah. Well not so much this part…"

"Do you and Matt go on lots of adventures?"

"Nn… Not like we used to. Usually we let Davis and the others handle things. Today was a rare treat."

"Ah." She nods. "Well, he's a nice boy. I'm glad you have a friend like him."

I nod. "Mm… So am I."

She smiles as we keep down the corridor, clearly going deeper as we go. Somewhere deep below there must be an opening to the outside, because there is a breeze blowing cool air up the corridor. Rei blows through her lips, feeling the chill. She wraps her skinny arms around herself. "It's so cold in here."

Without a word, I unwrap my school jacket from around my waist. After shaking it once, I hand it to her just over Agumon's head. "Here," I say.

"Eh… T-thank you."

She reaches for my coat. For the briefest of moments our fingers touch: she gasps lightly. I blink, fighting a blush, and she finally takes it. She giggles to herself – it comes out as a series of low, soft hums in the darkness while wrapping the jacket around her slender frame. Agumon snorts between us but says nothing else, letting us have this moment of… what exactly? I'm not sure.

But the air is full of something: a kind of heavy tension that needs breaking somehow. Nervously, I bring a hand to the back of my head and laugh, searching for the right conversation starter. "These hallways… did you really… walk around… you know, without-"

"Eh?"

_**Not**_ the right conversation starter. Definitely not the right conversation starter!

"S-sorry!"

"Taichi!"

"Sorry!"

"That's a bit dirty!"

"Nevermindnevermindnevermind!" I swing my arms wildly in the air.

"I don't get it." Agumon brings a claw to his nose. "Walk around without what?"

"Agumon!"

Rei pouts. "I didn't think you could be so perverted Taichi…"

"I'm not, honest! I-"

"Jo-king…"

She smiles lightly, eyes pleasantly closed. I sigh with relief. "Oh… heh."

"I'm not. Walk around without what Tai?"

"Agumon!"

"Hehe… ow!"

Agumon grumbles between us while I retrieve my fist from his nose. "S-sorry about that."

"It wasn't like I had a choice," she says sadly. "And I wasn't walking so much as I was running."

"That must have been... strange."

"Running naked in a dusty maze with robots shooting lasers at me? Yeah, that's strange."

"S-sorry."

She smiles, and eyebrow raised teasingly. "Are you this forward with all your girl friends?"

"Girlfriends?"

Now it's her turn to blush. She stammers and waves her hands about in the air, assuring me that I have it wrong. "Ah! I mean girl friends! Friend-girl… I mean… A girl who is your-"

"Friend." I finish for her. "Ah. No. Not really. Most girls would slap me if I was. Thank you for not slapping me -"

She slaps me, lightly and playfully across the face. I laugh.

"What about Sora?" She asks when we've calmed ourselves.

I cough, fighting the saliva that has betrayed me and rubbing my cheek. "Mn! N-No! No way, that would be… no."

Rei frowns at this. "Why? Is she not…?"

She trails off, and it takes a moment before I understand her completely. "Nn! Eh… Sora is… um. Well she's a girl. And she's my friend. My best friend-girl I guess. That's about it." I sigh, facing towards the ceiling. "Besides, Matt would get mad."

"Matt?"

"Uh… Yeah."

"Oh." She sounds surprised.

We walk in silence again, but the tension isn't as warm as it had been. I try not to face her so that I bring attention to myself. I try to sneak a glance over to her… and catch her doing the same. We laugh nervously and some of the tension finally dies away.

"So… um… _do_ you have a girlfriend?"

"Wha? Eh…"

"Sorry! Too forward. Umm…"

I shake my head. "N-no I'm happily single."

"Happily?"

I nod. "Uh… yeah."

She sounds almost… disappointed. "Hmm…"

Agumon puffs smoke. "Eck. Get a room. Ow!"

I rub the base of my knuckles while Agumon nurses the lump on his head. "Can it buddy…"

Agumon grumbles some more, but manages to steer clear of playing the innocent – he's seen what's under my bed before. He's no innocent.

We walk until we come to the end of the line. The corridor we were walking along branches off into two different sections, giving us choices on where we can go.

"A fork in the road," Rei notes.

Agumon snorts. "Which way Tai?"

I close my eyes, getting a sense of the winds around me. "Mm… The breeze is coming from over there," I point out.

"MmHmm."

"We should go the opposite direction. The breeze would be coming from an outside exit. This things at the center, right?"

"Mm."

I nod and head down the hallway to my left. Behind me, I hear Agumon bump into Rei. "Hmphf… After you," he snorts. I shoot him a glare and he lets her through.

We walk along in silence, getting a little warmer as we go. Rei's face looks worried.

"You okay?" I ask.

"This place."

I blink and turn back at her. "Rei?"

She's frowning, her brown eyes staring off into the distance. "It's like I'm dreaming again."

"You remember this place too?"

"Mm…" She nods.

Before I get a chance to ask further, Agumon stops where he stands. His nostrils flare wide as my orange dinosaur buddy takes great big intakes of air. He growls, not liking whatever it is he smells. Before I can stop him he takes off running.

"Agumon what is it?"

"I smell something!" He says as he trots off on his own.

I grunt and take off after him, with Rei close behind. "Agumon, wait up!"

He turns a corner and we follow suit. I'm just around the wall when I see him standing still, looking shocked. I slow my approach. He doesn't notice. I take a deep breath, a scowl on my face, and take a few steps towards him while Rei trots behind. Agumon just stands there, looking dumbfounded.

"Agumon, what is –"

What I see shuts me up. Rei steps behind me. "Oh man…"

There isn't a body. That would have been nice: if there were a body it would be alive. All we get is a smear of black tar on the side of the wall – the discoloration of real world iron digitized in the Digiworld that's been burned into the details of the wall. Below are various items that once belonged to one of our illegal friends: a combat belt with various non-essentials, as well as what appears to be a baseball cap. And a machinegun. That's one out of six.

Somebody was here once. Right up until something caught up with them. They're gone now.

Rei fidgets, her voice almost a whisper. "Something happened here. Didn't it?"

I don't tell her what it means. I _can't_ tell her what it means.

"Let's keep walking," I suggest. She doesn't respond, staring at the mark on the wall with morbid attention while tugging at my jacket around her shoulders. My eyes follow her gaze back down to the objects on the floor. She's looking at the gun.

Before I can say anything a growing sound begins to become more prominent down the halls. Like rotating gears on a toy, the noise approaches us from whence we came. I frown, turning back into the darkness. "What's that sound?"

Agumon sniffs the air. "Gizmon?"

At their name, Rei pales, shifting beside us. "No…" she fights her frustration. "Not again…"

I blink. "Rei?"

"M-Matt said that… that they wouldn't follow me."

"They're following _us_." I remind her. "We're on the inside now. No matter how they treated us outside, now that we're in they're bound to be more defensive. Things are gonna get personal."

"Taichi…"

I give her a warm smile. "Don't worry. I'll pr-"

"No." She says: politely but with an edge. "It's time I… I protect myself."

"Rei?"

She reaches for, and retrieves, the machinegun from off the floor without a second thought. I frown. She hoists the butt-end under her arm, looping the strap across her shoulder and neck. One hand goes to the barrel, the other to the trigger. If she didn't already look like a military otaku with all that get up...

I sigh. "Look Rei…"

I don't get a chance to scold her. Agumon raises a claw to us both. "Shush… They're coming."

We keep close, staying silent and facing the oncoming sound with a determined silence. The three of us are prepared to face the worst, our imagination running wild with what could be just beyond the light. And then we see them. And we're all unimpressed.

In fact, Agumon looks like he's gonna laugh. "That's it?"

I frown. They sort of look like tiny purple spiders. Granted, spiders with bulbous heads made of metal, but purple spiders nonetheless. They clink towards us en masse, the little gears turning inside their frames and shifting their little legs forward. They share a similar makeup with the Gizmon we fought outside, but they're smaller. Small thin wires poke up from their bodies like antenna on a toy car, unconnected to any main hub but clearly doing something. Despite their number, they don't look particularly menacing; a fact which my partner is quick to catch up on.

"They're unattached Gizmon," Rei blinks.

"Unattached _baby_ Gizmon," Agumon corrects her with a snort. "Look at them they're so puny –"

A laser lights up Agumon's foot. "Ack! Why you little…"

"Agumon!"

But he's already a step ahead of me; his jaw wide open with the flames leaping from his throat.**_ "Pepper Breath!"_**

The ball of fire from his digital gut erupts from his jaws and slams headlong into the pile of mini-Gizmon. There is a high pitched squeek from them as they fade away into nothingness, with my partner thoruoughly satisfied. "See that wasn't so hard."

Rei however, doesn't look so impressed. "…Um…"

The glow from Agumon's fire has given us a little more light than we had before, which would have been great, if it didn't reveal all the mini-Gizmon that have been following us.

They line the walls, their disconnected wires swinging everywhere. The little critters shift and move in a sea of parts, clicking and screeching with every step of their tiny legs. With the light on them, they all turn to us as one: as if they wouldn't have known we existed before.

Great. As if it couldn't get any worse.

"That's… a lot of spiders." My partner gulps.

I fidget. "You'd think with them being disconnected they wouldn't function, right?"

"Ah!" Rei points at the end of one. "Look!"

I frown, then gasp when I see it. At the end of each severed wire is a small round tube of metal, clipped neatly at the end of their severed wires. At the top of each tube sits a blinking red light. The implications are troubling. "These things are…"

"…remote controlled," Agumon finishes for me. Neither of us is happy.

The little Gizmon things look up to us, one after the other. Things are still between the two of us. And then their tiny little eyes begin to glow.

"Okay. Gotta go. Gotta go!"

We high tail it away from the spiders as fast as we can, ducking out heads as their lasers fire. A few of them actually hit, but their attacks aren't as severe or accurate as their relatives outside. It feels like being pinched, over and over again. A couple and we'd survive. Of course there are more of them in here, and more of that would be enough to drive a man crazy. Thankfully, though they out number us a hundred to one, we're a lot faster.

We round another corner and find time to take a breather. At least we know we can out run them. The problem of course is that, being machines, they don't need to rest. We hear their gears working as they continue to advance. I frown. Agumon growls. Rei clutches tightly to the machine gun.

I blink. "Why are you still carrying that thing?"

"I'm almost out of grenades," she says as if that's a worthy answer.

"Have you ever used one of those before?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe!"

She shoots me a dry look. "I don't remember. _Remember_?"

I frown. "I'm just saying it's dangerous."

"I know it's dangerous. But Agumon can't handle these things by himself!"

"Says who?" My partner yelps.

Rei ignores him. "You said I could help you."

"I didn't say you could lug heavy artillery around with us!"

"Guys!" Agumon snaps.

I turn back and hear the oncoming sound of our pursuers. I shake my head. "This w-"

Before I know what is happening, Rei catches me by the collar, her scarred hands pressing tightly above my chest. With a look of determination she takes a step inside and hurls me with all her might towards the opposite wall. Agumon gasps and I stumble, watching as the wall rushes to my face as I…

Fall right through?

I land in a heap in a darkened room. I shake my head and look back towards the outline of the gap in the wall. You can see through to the other side. I gasp. I know what this is. I look up to say something to Rei's silhouette but before I can a large shadow grows in the dim false wall. Before I know it I'm joined by a flying Agumon - who lands hard on his chest – and Rei, who keeps her gun close.

"Hey," Agumon shouts. "What was that all ab-"

"Shh!" Rei silences him. He shoots me a look but I'm with Rei. For now at least. I lean against the wall of our hiding place and close my eyes.

"A hiding wall," I shake my head. "You've pulled us into a hiding wall."

"Is that what it's called?" She asks absently. I nod, but I get the feeling the question was rhetorical.

Every once in a while the Digidestined have run into something like this: sections of a tree or a stone or even a wall that appears to have been hollowed out once you press past a hologram. Izzy called them a breach in the system: a line of corrupted or altered data used by smaller weaker Digimon to hide from their enemies. I was forced to slip inside a tree on my first day inside this world. I didn't understand it then. I don't really get it now either but that's not the point.

The point is, Rei knew where this one was.

Whether by instinct or some other power, Rei knew where the wall would give way for us. She'd caught me without hesitation, she'd tossed me without warning. She apparently kicked Agumon in the tail and flung him inside. She knew we'd be safe here. Whether she knew it consciously or not, she knew this shelter would exist. I can't help feeling a little conflicted by that.

You're a mysterious thing of beauty Rei.

Outside, we watch as the unattached Gizmon spiders crawl past us. Agumon breathes a sigh of relief, nursing his sore tail. I turn to say something to her, but she has her eyes closed. And she's counting.

"Three, two, one…"

"What are you doi-"

"Zero!"

"Rei!"

She doesn't stop, and before I know it Rei has slipped outside the wall. Agumon growls and the two of us scramble back to our feet. We're almost at the edge of the hidden wall when we hear it: the _rattatattat _of machine gun fire. My heart stops.

"Rei!"

Agumon and I pop outside to see her with gun a blazing. I have to duck to avoid a laser to the eye, and I catch to the back of my coat resting across her shoulders. She looks over to me and I can see her eyes. They don't look right anymore. They almost look red.

"Rei?"

She snarls. "Run!"

I grit my teeth but double back and head down the opposite corridor, Agumon right at my heels. The rattle or Rei's borrowed gun rings down the hallways as we spring away from our miniature pursuers. And then she starts running with us; just behind, but I can hear her labored breathing.

We turn another corner, once again presented with a fork in the road. I turn to give instructions. Rei is staring towards our pursuers.

"What is it?"

"...Burn!"

Her voice terrifies me. She unclips a grenade, pops the pin, and hurls it like a softball into the mass of metal spiders. I barely have time to flinch when the explosion rocks the corridor, sending digital dust and debries everywhere. I shield my eyes. I can hear the shrieks of tiny metal insects as they burn away into nothing.

Smoke pours our way after a few seconds. I put a hand to my mouth and Agumon buries his nose under his claws. Rei just stands there. Waiting. All is deathly quiet for a moment and we aren't sure if that was enough.

The sound of small gears churning from across the corner sends us into a brief panic, and Rei brings the machine gun up to bear. It's in vain however. What baby-Gizmon survived are retreating, for the sounds of their gears drops lower and lower, until at last, we are once again alone.

I take a deep breath and approach her. She looks like she's gonna lose it.

She flinches when my hand reaches her shoulder, but she doesn't really pull away. She's breathing heavily, her shoulder blades rising and falling with each intake of breath. The machinegun hangs in her left hand; she won't let it go. But she isn't happy about what she's done. I take a cautious step forward until I'm beside her, staring at the dying Gizmon. Their bodies fade erratically into the darkness. "Rei," I speak quietly. "It's alright now. It's going to be –"

Before I can get the final words out she turns into me, her forehead crashing into my chest, her body pressing into mine. I tense for a few seconds, then turn my eyes towards her. She's shaking, her whole body vibrating against me. I take a moment, then let my arms gently wrap around her shoulders. She's fighting tears again.

"I w-wasted a lot of bullets. D-d-didn't I?"

"Mm," is all I say.

"W-why is this happening to me?"

I don't have an answer. Instead I let her go, glancing down at those big brown eyes of hers. "C'mon. We've got to keep moving."

She nods slowly. She cradles the machinegun and starts walking, her body language tearing my heart. I frown and turn to Agumon. He's watching the last of the Gizmon spiders data disappear.

"Hack me…" he whispers.

"Agumon?"

He turns and nods. "Coming."

We catch up to Rei, still sulking with the gun in her hands. Every step we take echoes along the dimmly lit corridor, the only sounds we hear are our own. It's a long time before I can bring up any subject: the silence has overtaken us all. But it's definitely hit her worst. Her eyes stare blankly at the floor before her, the hazel browns dark beneath her gloom. Gathering my courage, I raise my voice above a whisper. "You okay?"

After a moment she nods. "Y-yes. I'm just remembering things again."

"Like what?"

"...The person I was arguing with." She whispers. "I think we were… close."

"Close?"

She blushes and looks away from me. "MmHmm…"

I frown. "Oh."

"And we were moving apart while we were down here."

I look at her, trying to find the words to say. Finally I sigh. "I'm sorry."

"No," she shakes her head. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

I blink. "For what?"

"For being so…" she pauses, trying to find the words. "For not being myself. I'm letting my anger get to me and… and it's making me fight with you. I don't want to fight with you."

"Neither do I," I tell her. We cross through the corridor and down a flight of steps. The air about us is warm – though I don't know if that's just me or not.

She looks to the floor. "Taichi?"

"Hm?"

"If… If we find out something in my past… no matter how bad… would we still be friends?"

"…Why?"

Before she can answer, Agumon's growl interrupts us. "They're coming."

We turn and look up the stairway. We can't see them yet, but we can hear the little automaton spiders clicking that claws down the brick flooring. They won't be much longer.

"But we're close," Rei says with a tone of worry. "Can you feel it?"

I nod. "It has gotten warmer."

"Something's definitely down there," grumbles Agumon.

Rei fidgets with the gun. "The hub can't be far, right?"

Agumon frowns. "Neither can they."

I bring a hand to my chin. "We have to find a way to slow them down."

"We have a way."

I blink and turn to her. "Rei?"

She faces the entrance to the corridor we just passed through. She looks determined. "Cover your ears!"

I blink and, realizing what she's going to do, I turn my head and drop as low as I possibly can. She grabs the grenade – the last on her strap – and hurls it into the ceiling. The explosion behind me is near deafening, though it only lasts for mere moments. What follows is the sound of crumbling rock. I turn back to see that Rei's final grenade has sealed us from our attackers – for the moment at least.

"That won't hold them for long," she sighs as she waves dust from her face.

"Good thinking," I tell her as the dust settles.

"Not so good," she sighs. "I've locked us down here. And I think my gun's almost empty. A few more rounds and I'll be out for sure."

"Mm. You bought us some time." I place a hand on her shoulder and she smiles.

"Tai!" Agumon shouts from the end of the stairs. I frown. Motioning to my pretty companion, we sprint down the flight of steps and to the floor below.

Behind me, I hear Rei's gasp. "What is that!"

I ignore her, my mouth agape, staring blindly at what lies before us.

_The electric gate of my childhood._

I take a deep breath. It just sits there, traveling from one side of the wall to another, buzzing with an electrical current. I've had nightmares about these fences since I was eleven years old. Izzy called it a firewall. They're a final defense mechanism, steel mesh crackling with the buzz of electricity. They always have a hidden doorway in between them. Usually off left… or was it off right? Either way, there's a lot of danger. One false move, one mistake, and I'm fried.

Mazes, hiding walls, and electric fences: three things I've seen before, a long time ago. Which means this place is –

A boom from up the stairs jerks me from my thoughts, and I know they're still coming.

"That's not going to hold them much longer." Rei says as she backs away from the stairs.

"Not by itself." Agumon growls. He bears his claws, his teeth gleaming maliciously in what little light the room provides. I frown.

"You can't stay here partner."

"Sure I can!" Agumon snorts, a puff of steam flowing into the air. "You know we have to get through this. If I go with you they'll just follow us in anyway. This way I can hold them off long enough for you to shut it down."

"It's too dangerous." Rei hisses. "Those things will completely overwhelm you!"

"Don't underestimate me!" Agumon barks back. And then he looks to me. His emerald eyes are on fire. "I can do this Tai."

My eyes turn from my partner to the blockade. I hear them just beyond; their beams eating away at the stone data. I look back to my partner. I know he can handle it. "Go get 'em buddy."

Agumon shoots me a grin. "I won't let _you_ down!"

There is an explosion on the other side of the blockade. Rei shifts uncomfortably on her feet. "Tai, we have to go."

"Hurry up!" Agumon snarls at us. "If we're gonna have a chance to stop this thing you need to go. It's up to you!"

I smile. The sounds of the approaching Gizmon rise with each passing second. I look to Rei, then to the fence of my nightmares. _I've done this before_, I remind myself. _I can do it again._

"Tai?"

Rei looks to me. Worried. I take her hand in mine. "We can do this!"

She looks back at me. Those pretty brown eyes gazing in wonder, before she smiles back. "Okay."

The explosions come ever nearer. "Go!" Agumon shouts. I squeeze Rei's hand and take off towards the fence. Rei is forced to keep up. With a loud shout I leap into the fence, tugging Rei along with me. She screams in terror behind me, but I can't help her. I close my eyes as the mesh collides into my face…

And we slip through, unharmed.

We reach the other side in a lump, tumbling into one another. I groan, open my eyes, and realize that I've landed hard right on top of her. Her eyes are shut and she isn't moving. "Rei!"

She stirs. "Nn… Hi, Tai."

I stare at her. She stares back, a grin creeping across her face. I start laughing, deep gusts of wind filling my lungs with each boyish giggle. Pretty soon Rei's laughing too. _We're alive_. Tired, but alive. After all that we've finally done it. Together. What a fearsome twosome we've become. I look down at the laughing girl beneath me. _She looks just like her in this light._

"Um… Tai?" She asks through a smile.

"Y-yeah?"

"You wanna get off me?"

It takes me a moment to register. "Huh…Oh! Right… Right!" I shoot to my feet like a rocket. I mumble out apologies while cursing myself for not savoring the moment. Rei giggles and dusts herself off, rising to meet me. She gives me a knowing glance, and I'm sure my face is red. "So sorry." I finally manage to make a coherent sentence.

"Stupid Tai." She says with a smile.

I blink and watch her move. Things are falling together now. My heart beats faster and faster.

"You okay?" Agumon's voice from the other side interrupts my thoughts.

"W-we're fine." I hesitate. "Both of us. We're fine."

"I knew you still had it!" I can practically see Agumon bouncing for joy.

"We're not out of the woods yet." The girl tells him. "We've still got to reach the hub."

"Then you'd better hurry." Agumon says with urgency. "They're almost-"

The sound of an explosion outside interrupts him, and I know the Gizmon have breached the blockade. I call out to Agumon, but it's no use. I hear the same mental call of _Pepper Breath_ echoing in the corners of my mind, and I know he's buying us much needed time.

I look around at the control center. It's exactly as I remember it. The walls are lined with computer consoles and terminals of alien origin. I never really appreciated how out of my element I was in this place. Izzy would love it.

"There!" The girl points upward. I follow her gaze.

"Holy crap…"

I count eight of them, floating inside some sort of green liquid like dead animals in some mad scientists display. Humans. Their ages are varied – The youngest looks to be twelve or thirteen and the oldest looks like he could die from a cough. They're hooked up to all sorts of black wires that vibrate beneath their tanks. I think they're alive though, as their bodies are moving a little. So this is it. This is what we've been looking for.

Survivors.

"We found them." The girl adjusts her redish brown hair out of her face.

I eye her. "You sure?"

"Yes that's them. I know it's them."

I nod. "Alright. We found them. How do we get them down?"

"Here," she points to a computer console, then frowns. "Everything's turned off though."

"Hmm?"

"We'll have to turn this moniter on, activate the vaccine program and we'll send the whole network crashing down. That'll release them for sure!"

I look at her. _Really look at her_. "So what are we waiting for?"

"C'mon." says the girl. She leads me to the main terminal, determination on her face. She presses a few keys like she's an expert, and in seconds a module rises from within. In the center is a hole – especially shaped for a digivice.

_My digivice_.

"Alright. This is it." She looks up at the massive glass hub, the screen pulsing with light. "All we have to do is activate this console, plug in your Digivice and D-Terminal, and end the menace before it begins."

"No."

She blinks. "…What?"

"No. I won't activate the console."

She laughs nervously, her face the mirror of confusion. "This isn't the time do get cold feet Taichi. We have to deal with this threat now."

"Like you dealt with those researchers?"

She stops in her tracks. It's all out in the open now. "W-what are you talking about? They're right there!"

"I'm not talking about the extermination team. I'm talking about the research team. The ones from that campsite."

"I don't understand."

"I'll make it simple. When you killed them, did they even have a chance? Did you feel no remorse? Or were they killed in cold blood?"

"Taichi, y-you're not making sense."

"No?"

She takes my hand in her own, and I feel the warmth of human skin. "Look, we can argue about what happened to them later. All we have to do right now is insert your digivice and set the program in motion!"

I pull away from her. "I'm not going to do that."

"Taichi, it's our only shot at saving the Digiworld!"

She looks just like her in this light. But she's not her. She never was. "I'm sorry Rei. I'm not going to help you."

She stares at me in confusion a moment more, before she drops the ruse entirely, gazing at me with cold, unfeeling contempt. "…Why not?"

"Because," I say as I slowly reach for my digivice. "You're not real."

* * *

**GODFALL**

**11**

**Digimon**


	12. Chapter 12

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 12

* * *

_"The girl you're calling Rei… isn't real."_

I frown, my mind racing with the implication. "I'm sorry Izzy… can you repeat that?"

_"She isn't real." _He tells me. _"She isn't human."_

I frown, my suspicions confirmed. Behind me Imperialdramon and Davis argue about food, while Ken tries desperately to calm them both down. I ignore them. For the past few hours I've been riding with an imposter. I'd almost started trusting her. It's a nauseating feeling. "So…" I word quietly into the phone. "She _is_ a Digimon."

_"No. She isn't that either."_

_…_

Wait… What?

I shake my head in shock. I had been sure that she was a Digimon who wanted to screw with us. Typically when we get pseudo-humans running around they're really Digimon in disguise. There is a whole litany of shape shifting monsters who have crossed paths with the Digidestined before and have come away hating us. I was sure it was a rogue Ninjamon or a Bakemon or something. But according to Izzy she isn't. She isn't _either _human or Digimon.

Well if she's not human and not Digimon then what the hell is she?

"I don't understand," I spit into the receiver. "How is this possible?"

Davis looks over at me, confused. "How is what possible?"

"Nn… nothing, just..." I clear my throat, focusing back on the Digidestined of Knowledge. "Izzy are you sure about this?"

_"Ninety-nine point three percent sure. There's a point seven percent margin for error."_

I bring my fingers to my forehead, trying to rub away a stress migrane that's starting to throb in the side of my skull. "What the hell is she then Izzy?"

_"I don't know the 'what'. However, if I'm reading her full basecode right, she's -"_

"Seriously, what's going on!" Davis interrupts Izzy at the top of his voice.

"We'd like to know," rumbles Imperialdramon in agreement.

Ken walks briskly towards me and opens his palm out to me. "May I speak with him?"

I blink, suddenly remembering I'm not alone. I look around. Davis, Ken, and even the mighty Imperialdramon - are all staring at me. It's only fair that they be as briefed on today's going's on as I am. I clear my throat. "Nn… Izzy?"

_"Ken's there?"_

"Yeah."

_"Can you place me on speaker? I'll explain what I can."_

"Speaker?" I frown and look down at this mechanical monstrosity. "Um… Little button on the right?"

_"Yeah."_

I shake my head. "Okay."

I press the button, and the stupid thing gives us feedback that makes the whine from a digivice sound downright pleasant. I squint, Ken raises his eyebrows, Davis smashes his palms into his ears, Imperialdramon gives an annoyed grunt, and poor Gabumon's sensitive ears make my partners eyes water up.

Tai had better come through with that chocolate; Gabumon's been through a lot today.

_"Can you all hear me?"_ Izzy's voice finally comes through from the speakers.

"Loud and clear Izzy," I grumble.

_"Prodigious. There had been some concern that the oscillators wouldn't be able to continue the signal when switching from normal to speaker mode, but I'd always been confident that we could –"_

"Izzy."

He coughs. _"Sorry. Anyway, about her basecode -"_

"Wait a minute Izzy," Ken leans closer, his head hovering just above my shoulder. "Can you go back from the beginning? What's going on?"

_"...Alright, here's how things started," _Izzy clears his throat._"Tai and Matt were contacted about a very specific mission by our digidestined friend Mina Singh. Researchers had gone missing and she was looking for someone to investigate. It was a matter of utmost secrecy."_

"Right we got that part," Imperialdramon interrupts him.

"Let's get to the good stuff." Davis crosses his arms. "Who is this Rei chick? Also… is she hot?"

Ken sighed. "Davis."

"What?"

"She was a wanderer," I explain. "We found her being chased by those things on her own. She had a bit of memory loss and was wearing a weird robe that the robots would shoot at – we're assuming that the original researchers wore it, though we're not sure why. She led us to the MAGAMI… eh… A.o.A campsite that eventually led us here. And…"

"She looks a bit like Sora," Gabumon admits sheepishly.

"Not a bit," I correct. "If they walked down the street together you'd have trouble telling them apart."

"That's… rather unsettling," Ken frowns.

Davis, suddenly realizing the implication of what he'd just said previously, raises two very panicked hands. "Whoawhoawhoa, didn't know all that. I take back the hot thing then… I mean Sora's hot but not Kari hot… I mean she is sorta, but she's your girl so… I mean I guess she's not a 'girl' anymore, considering... Not that I'm saying you _deflowered_ her or anything, I don't mean she's... well you two have been together for a while and Sora is hot so you two probably... I mean I don't think Sora's hot like, you know, 'I'm gonna try an'steal her away from you' or anything… not that I think I could, cause you're totally the coolest ever Matt… Er, second coolest cause Tai is the cool–"

A hand flies to Davis' mouth. His DNA partner lowers his embarrassed head. "Learn when to shut up when you're behind Davis..."

"HmmMmmHmmHmmhmmHmHmm?"

I find myself strangely laughing along with them anyway. "It's alright. I get it."

Ken frowns, retrieving his hand from a ticked off Davis' mouth. "So… Who is she?"

"We don't know. Heck, she said she didn't know either. She had some kind of memory loss. She didn't even know what an iPod was."

"Wow." Davis blinks. "That's out of touch."

"Sounds severe," Ken notes.

I nod. "When we found the camp we jostled some of her memories, but not enough. Not enough for her to remember, and certainly not enough for me to trust her," I sigh. "That's why I texted Izzy."

_"Matt sent me a message to get a lock on her and see what my computer could tell me. Her information didn't match up to any known Digidestined or Tamer, and when I dug further things became more astonishing."_

"She isn't human or Digimon," I finish.

_"That is correct,"_ Izzy's voice confirms.

Ken shakes his head again and looks towards the phone in my hand. "How can you know that Izzy?"

_"It's in her basecode."_

"Huh?"

_"Every life-form in the Digiworld has a basic coded structure."_ Izzy begins_. "However, each code has a baseline that is unique to the species. I wrote about it on my blog. Digicarp have a basecode of DotStN. It's a static network - once they're born they remain the same size and shape until consumed or deleted. Digiflora have a basecode of DotLEN, limited evolutionary network. They can grow, but only in predetermined evolutionary routs. A digiapple will always be the same size shape and weight for example. Digimon have a base code of DotPEN, punctuated evolutionary network, ie. Digivolution. Humans however, when they enter the Digiworld, have a base code of DotRGEN - realized gradual evolutionary network. This code converts our physical skeletons into wireframe and tries to simplify our various functions into a digital code. It's slightly more complicated than the typical three figure basecode, but because of that it isn't a recyclable one. Which is why we don't get reborn when we die here. Our data is used elsewhere in the system, but it never converts into an RGEN file again."_

"I remember reading up on some of this Izzy," Ken notes. "It was fascinating stuff."

"…Um. Can you explain it again?" Davis asks, scratching his head. "You know… for the people who didn't get it."

"I got it," smirks Ken.

"I know _you_ got it: I'm talking about the people who might not have-"

"Keep going Izzy." I tell him.

_"Basically, it's similar to DNA, but placed on a simpler scale. The basecode creates the specific dimensions of the digital organism, and from there produces their image – building from wireframe and filling with data. The second set in our basecode adds limits to us that Digimon don't have though: it's the thing that keeps us from Digivolving instead of just growing naturally and what keeps us from being reborn at a primary when we die here. From here I can see your biomechanical profile listed under 'YmtoIsdaDotRGEN'. That's fairly standard. But when I went back to view Rei's basecode, I found a prodigious anomaly!"_

"What did you find Izzy?" My heart is racing.

_"This 'Rei' creature has a three line base code. The same as digicarp, or digiflora… or digimon. But it isn't any of the three!"_

Davis scratches his chin. "…Okay… Now explain it like you would to a five year old."

"If she came to the real world her DNA wouldn't be human." Ken tells him.

"…Oh…" He says. It's clear he still doesn't understand.

Ken sighs. "I'll explain later."

I ignore them. "What is she then?"

_"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it. My computer lists it as a DotGEN file, but I'm not sure of the implications. If it means what I think it does, then her creators have stumbled on something extraordinary. This is completely unrecorded in my research. It shares properties with the human baseline but remains clearly a three lined system. It's utterly fascinating!"_

I sigh. "I don't know if that's the word I'd use Izzy…"

"Me either," Davis stretches his arms. "Yo, Izzy? Does this thing know she's a '_thing'_?"

_"I don't know. I never met her, so I don't know about her mental state. Because she doesn't have either a Digivice or D1 I can't track her emotional responses either."_

"I don't think she does," I say with a frown.

Ken blinks. "Matt?"

I shake my head and speak into the receiver. "When you said she wasn't human I thought maybe she knew it and was leading us into a trap. But the more I think about it… the more I think maybe she believed every word."

_"How so?" _Izzy questions me.

I shrug. "Just a feeling I guess. She's saved my life. Twice now. I can't see any of our current enemies doing that."

"But even if she believes herself, Tai could still be walking into a trap." Imperialdramon reminds us.

"It's possible." I agree. "She could be the bait and not even know it. That's why I told Agumon to keep an eye out, just in case."

"Still, if Tai _is_ walking into a trap, we should do something about it, right?" Davis frowns.

I turn to Davis with a matching grimmace. His face is etched with worry for his mentor - it's the same face Tai made when he came to my rescue only a short while ago. I sigh. Tai's sinking deeper into the ruins right now with all sort of defenses and a girl who isn't _anything_ we've encountered before. He's gonna need help. "Right. Gabumon, can you keep going?"

"Yeah." He grunts. "It'll take more than a few robo-moths to take me down."

I nod and fiddle with my digivice. Gabumon closes his eyes, and lets the light glow within him, forcing the changes up the digivolutionary scale until my giant wolf has returned. **_"Gabumon digivolve to… Garurumon!"_**

Garurumon shakes dust from his fur – some of it lands in Davis' face and my young protégé spits obscenities at my partner. Ken laughs, while Imperialdramon shakes his massive head. I ignore them, lifting the digital-phone back to my face. "Izzy, do you think you can find a way to send me a map of this ruins?"

_"Nn… I can try. If I bounce the signal through the digital antenna I'm using to speak to you –"_

"Whatever you can do," I sigh.

I hear the sound of fingers slamming into keys on the other end._ "You should be receiving your map right… hang on."_

I blink. "What is it?"

His voice falters, his confusion reading well on my end. _"…This map…"_

"Izzy?"

_"I've seen this before,"_ he speaks with a quiet voice.

I frown. "Izzy, talk to me."

_"Hold on,"_ he tells me. I hear the clicking of computer keys in the background again and I know Izzy's gotten into one of his moods. _"I have to do some comparisons."_

My frown deepens. "Comparisons? Comparisons of what?"

He doesn't respond. Not immediately. Davis Ken and Garurumon crowd around me while Imperialdramon glares off into the night, clearly antsy for action. And through it all, Izzy says nothing, the only sound we hear is the clicking of keys and his breathing on the other end. When his voice returns, it is chilled and quiet.

_"…Of course it is..."_

"Izzy?" I question. "What is going on up there?"

_"Matt you should take a look at this. I'm going to attempt to send it to you now."_

I wait for a second, until I feel my D-Terminal vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, I scroll down: I see a new message happily blinking in the corner. "Got it Izzy. I'm going to open it up."

I press a few buttons and an image flashes on my lcd screen. I gasp. "…It can't be."

_"Notice anything familiar?"_

There are several lines on top of lines, forming a kind of maze one would have fun solving if they were in elementary school. Littering this maze are several full squares, likely representing computer hubs. One line in particular connects to a square in the center – this line pings a little lighter than the rest on my D-Terminal screen. And all of this within the outline of a dark triangle.

He's right. I know this instantly.

"Holy crap," I whisper.

_"I don't know why we didn't put it together sooner."_ Izzy laments. _"You two should have gotten better warning. That's my fault. As soon as I saw her full basecode I should have-"_

My eyes widen. "This is…"

_"...Right."_ Is all Izzy says.

"This is what?" Ken glares in confusion.

"Yeah," Davis joins him, "what gives?"

I sigh, looking up to my two companions with a worried stare. "We've definitely been here before. And paid dearly for coming."

Ken shakes his head. "I don't understand."

"Let me put it to you this way." I stare at him. "The last time we were here MetalGreymon vaporized an evil monkey and accidentally opened a portal home."

Ken blinks, and then puts two and two together. While it doesn't mean as much to him as it does to me, his eyes still widen in recognition. "…Oh."

Davis glares at both of us. "…Still not following."

Ken ignores him. "…This is where Etemon fell, isn't it?"

I nod. "Mm…"

"The rock n' roll guy Tai told me about?" Davis bites his lip in thought "But… you guys destroyed him. Right?"

"Nothing ever stays dead for long here," I remind him. "But yeah, we got Etemon. I'm more concerned about what he left behind - and what these A.o.A guys stumbled across."

"Is it somethin' we can shoot at?" Imperialdramon's voices are practically pleading in my skull.

"Give us a second guys," Ken asks, and Imperialdramon moans like a five year old.

I return to my conversation with the Digidestined of Knowledge. "Izzy, can you still get me inside?"

_"With the top half gone, I don't think the hidden entrance exists anymore. However Tai got in is how you'll have to follow."_

"Terrific. How did Tai get in?"

_"The main entrance will have an eight digit locking mechanism you should be able to get through,"_ he explains very quickly.

I frown. "I don't have the password."

_"It's 'password'."_

I feel a bead of sweat trickle down the side of my face. "…Seriously?"

_"I know. I know. I wanted them to change it too. I thought something like 'prodigious' would work better, but it's an eight key code and some of them didn't even know how to spell–"_

"Izzy."

_"Sorry."_

"Nn… It's okay." I shake my head. I nod towards Ken and Davis and make to mount my partner. "We're going after Tai now."

_"Matt. There's one more thing."_

"What is it Izzy?"

_"Her full base code. It reads: 'Sra2dtmnDotGEN'"_

"D-t-m-n…" I fill in the letters. I put them together. My blood falls from my face. "…Does that mean what I think it means."

_"I'd tell you it doesn't if I could, but…"_

I stand stock still. Things are falling together now. My heart beats faster and faster. The black wires, the mysterious digital organism in the desert, it's hatred for us... I get it now. There will be no reasoning with this. How could we reason with a being who only cares about itself?

"Matt?" Ken frowns.

"What's going on?" Davis worries.

I ignore them both. "…Izzy."

_"Yes?"_

"I need a favor from you."

_"Okay?"_

"Can… can you call my girlfriend for me? Tell her… 'I might not make it to dinner tomorrow. But everything's going to be alright.' I want you to stress that to her. 'Everything is going to be alright.'"

_"…Matt?"_

"If I don't call her she'll worry. And I don't have time to call her. Can you tell her that for me?"

_"…Alright."_

I fidget with the phone in my hands. I know my girlfriend isn't going to be pleased with this. In fact I'm fairly certain she's going to be on the phone with Izzy all night trying to keep up with where we both are – Sora can be motherly like that. But this is the best I can do right now, and at least this way Sora will know I'm okay.

I swallow spit and gather myself. The wind is nipping through my shirt, and I know I'll have to get going in a few seconds. "Um… I'm going to turn off the phone now Izzy."

_"Okay."_

"If me and Tai don't email you by six o'clock tomorrow morning call an emergency meeting, bring everyone down here and blow this thing to high heaven. You understand?"

His voice is full of concern._ "What are you going to do?"_

I sigh, staring off towards the pile of rocks. "I have to go save our leader."

_"…Understood."_

Izzy sends me a final reply before hanging up. I take a deep breath. My chest thumps with a low hum of pain but I try to ignore it. I can't let it slow me down. Not now. I set the phone carefully back into the briefcase, snapping the latches closed. "Here," I hand the device to Davis. "You two will need this more than I will now."

"What's going on?" Ken asks.

"It's more than just a trap for us."

He frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah," Davis pouts as he limply swings the briefcase back and forth. "This is seriously starting to creep me out."

I sigh, turning my head back to the ruins. "This is where Etemon fell. But there was another monster we never saw again."

Ken pales. "Oh."

Davis' mouth is wide in shock. It's clear he too recognizes the dang-

"…Cockatrimon?"

If I were in an anime right now my head would instantly be on the ground in shock. Instead, I simply groan. Davis blinks, not realizing that he may need to pay more attention when we start sharing war stories. Ken pats his head patiently, earning him a glare from his spike-haired friend. I shake my head. "The other big bad we fought on Server."

"Oh… Oh! Wait that dude was a wimp though, wasn't he?"

"Not as much as we thought," I grumble. "If I'm right _he'll_ have absolute control of the black wires. And if that's the case then he's been in total control over everything that's happened over the last three years. This guy's evil; pure evil. There's no point in reasoning with him.

"And the girl?" Imperialdramon asks.

"The girl…" I trail off. I don't want to think about it. "Whether she knows it or not, she belongs to him."

"We'll have to treat her like she's in on it too then," Ken decides, and I begrudgingly agree with him.

"I don't believe it." Garurumon huffs. "To think he'd wait for us all this time."

"Mm." I nod.

Davis yawns. "Whatever. So we're dealing with one of the enemies from your past. Was he stronger than Myotismon?"

"Nn… No."

"So why don't we just go in there, pull Tai outta the way, and nuke this thing to smithereens right now?"

"Now there's an idea," Imperialdramon's voice bounces around in my ears.

Before I can answer either way, my partner sniffs his giant nose. The expression in his eyes is worrying. He turns to me, a low snarl building in his throat. "M-Matt?"

"What is it buddy?"

Garurumon growls, his dark eyes pointing towards the crater. "We are not alone."

My eyes follow his gaze. Davis and Ken do the same. What we see startles us all.

Wires. They're popping up out of the sands like buds of a growing plant, reaching out into the darkness. It's thanks to the brightness of the sands that we see them at all – they're all starting so tiny. But they're growing.

Singed from Imperialdramon's razing of the desert sands, these wires coil and writhe like blind snakes out of their elements. But they are far from dead – if indeed these moving vines can be considered living things. More than that, with each passing second that the five of us watch with horror, the cables outer shell appears to be regenerating and wrapping around the coils again and again, layering the wires in a black casing. I knew this thing was spreading fast. But seeing it in person sets fear in my heart.

"No way." Davis whispers. "Imperialdramon's Mega Crusher… It's like it had no affect at all!"

Ken pales. "The wires… they're not going to stop until this thing is dead."

I gulp. Our enemy is through playing around. The wires are regenerating at such a pace, and are moving so quickly, that the whole area will become a forest of wires in a few short minutes. We have it's undivided attention now. It's trying to kill us.

"Matt?"

"Yes Ken?"

"How far are the vines reaching?"

"Nn… They're under a lot of Server. Neo-Delhi included. Why?"

He sighs. "I don't think this is a localized event."

I spit. Around us more vine-like black wires rise from the sand, their exposed tips sparking with electricity. They're everywhere, sprouting like flowers in springtime. They're spreading as far as the eye can see, up the dunes and across the horizon. I grit my teeth. "What the hell…?"

"He's unleashing all his wires at once," Ken surmises.

I snarl. "It's never easy, is it?"

Davis looks to me. "What do we do now?"

I take a breath. "Get back to Neo-Delhi! Tell Mina to evacuate. Clear everybody as far away from the _Dark Network_ as possible!"

"What about you?" Davis shouts back.

"I have to go save Tai!"

"That's nuts," Imperialdramon rumbles. "You can't go in there alone."

"The city holds thousands. Our lives are nothing in comparison. You guys are needed there!"

"But…"

"C'mon guys," I shout aloud. "You have to trust me!"

Just shouting that aloud makes me wince, the pain in my side returning sharply with the expansion of my digital lungs. Davis and Ken share a look. For a minute I wonder if they're going to ignore me – both technically outrank me right now since Tai isn't around. Typically, the Digidestined with the highest evolution in a group takes point when we're called in. Right now that's them. They can reach mega. I can't anymore. Not without Tai.

But all Davis does when he turns back to me is sigh. "Alright."

I blink. "Nn?"

"There's obviously no talking you out of this," Ken agrees, "and we don't have time to argue about it."

"Get in there and kick some butt Matt," Davis nods. "I believe in you!"

I take a deep breath, feeling better. "Thanks."

Ken and Davis head back towards the waiting Imperialdramon. Ken calls to me over his shoulder. "You and Garurumon take off. We'll clear you a path!"

"Be careful," says Davis.

I nod back to them. "Understood."

"And Matt?"

"Mm?"

Davis flashes me a thumbs up, his toothy grin visible even in the dark. "Make sure you bring Tai back safely. He's gotta be the best man when me and his sister get married!"

I grin. "I'm pretty sure he'd try to kill you first!"

We share a smile. I can count on them. They're our replacements after all.

I hop on to Garurumon's back, clutching my ribs but ignoring the pain. "Let's go Gaurumon!"

"Hmrgh!"

He takes off into a full gallop, and I feel the wind across my face. Behind me I hear the jet like scream of Imperialdramon lifting himself from the ground and back into the air, and I know that they'll be above us soon. Which is good, because we're going to need there help getting through.

I kip the side of Garurumon and hang on, with each step of his monsterous paws dodging more and more black vines as they reach out for us. They're getting thicker as we go along, trying to trip Garurumon up. Trying to catch us and end us before we can save our friends. They almost succeed.

**_"Positron Laser!"_**

I shield my eyes from the blast. Sand sprays in my face, pricking at my skin like tiny needles, but I press Garurumon onwards. Above me Davis and Ken ride high on Imperialdramon and – true to their word – clear a path for us, slamming the sands with a continuous laser blast that parts the desert floor like the sea. With the wires in that direction fried, Garurumon and I have a cleared gauntlet to run. I salute the boys with the arm on my good side. Imperialdramon roars a response.

We hurtle across the sands at Garurumon's top speed, hurtling towards the looming ruins of what was once a great upside down pyramid. I hear Imperialdramon roar across the night once more and I know he's turned around and is headed back towards Neo-Delhi. He will be needed. Our enemy may be the most intelligent villain we ever faced. And now he has the entirety of the _Dark Network_ at his disposal.

If I'm right – and God, I hope I'm not – then we're all in far more danger than we've been led to believe. And Tai is at the brunt of it. I lean forward and urge Garurumon onwards. Towards the ruined pyramid. Towards Tai and the girl who looks like Sora. Towards a creature fueled on revenge. I have to hurry.

If I don't make it in time, she may kill him.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**12**

**Digimon**


	13. Chapter 13

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 13

**A/N:** Sorry for the brief delay: life and all its complexities... Thank you all for the many kind reviews. This chapter was a beast; it underwent a rewrite at least five times after initial completion. Hopefully it's all good now.

* * *

She's going to kill me.

She's holding the strap of the machinegun in one hand, limply dangling it against the edges of her fingertips. She hasn't aimed it at me. Not yet. But the threat is there. I stand my ground as best I can, with one hand gripped tight to my digivice. She watches me, her eyes intent. Focused. I frown.

Those brown eyes belong to Sora Takenouchi. And this being isn't her.

"What do you mean," she glares at me beneath the darkened monitor.

"You're not real," I repeat myself. "You're not human."

"I don't understand that," her voice is dry and heated. "How would you know a thing like that?"

"I just do." I never take my eyes away from her face.

"That's crap Taichi. You can't just accuse someone of not being real on a hunch. What would make you say such a terrible thing?"

"You don't deny it for one," I reply.

"I shouldn't have to," she frowns. "You should trust me."

"I only met you today." I remind her.

"Taichi…"

I shrug, never taking my eyes off her. "It's the little things I guess. Separate and you hardly notice. Together, and it all comes out crystal clear."

"Little things like what?"

"You knew where the hiding walls were. You had instant knowledge of how to work MAGAMI computers and passwords even though you supposedly don't remember what an iPod is. You remembered being a tamer but you didn't know you were in the Digiworld – any Tamer could tell you the difference. Hell, any _human_ could tell the difference."

"S-so what? All of that has an explanation."

She's looking at me with those browns. I can't resist.

"You called me s_tupid Tai_." I answer her as honestly as I can.

Her pretty face scrunches in disgust. "And?"

"Nobody calls me that. _Nobody_. I'm an idiot, a fool, even a psychopath to a lot of people. But nobody calls me 'Stupid Tai'. Not like that. Not that way. Nobody in the whole world. Except Sora." I frown. "And you're not her."

She flinches, looking hurt. I stand my ground. It's all in the open now: what I've been worried about for the last few hours has been voiced. It is her. It has to be.

_The other Sora_.

When I was younger, I used to wonder what ever happened to her. Back when our war was still young and our adventures only starting to get truly dangerous, a little troll of a machine captured my best friend, Sora, and held her with the intent of using her digivice and crest to digivolve and fight his rival Etemon. He was convinced that it wasn't Sora that he really needed, merely her body, and he'd cloned her, literally photo copying my friend on a cold slab and producing a lifeless shell he intended to destroy Etemon with. But I stopped him. I saved my friend. And as far as I knew, the clone died with the little troll when the pyramid collapsed around them all.

She looks just like her. And now I'm convinced of the reason why.

She hesitates. The gun continues to dangle limply in one hand. "T-that's a stupid reason to think someone isn't real."

"Maybe," I acknowledge. "But when you add all that with what we know about the enemy we're facing and the picture comes in crystal clear kid. I'd been thinking about how familiar everything had been since I came across some ruins on our way to meet you – ruins that look suspiciously like what's left of Piximon's oasis. And it just got more and more familiar: it couldn't be coincidence. Not just the ruins of the oasis, but the wires are suspiciously like another set of wires I remember when I was a kid. Then of course there's the ruins you supposedly ran from – all that's left of the pyramid I nearly lost my best friend in…. A best friend who you look exactly alike. I think that's the biggest tip off of all."

"What?"

"Sorry kid." I give her a grin to hide my fears. "You just look too much like Sora."

She hesitates. The gun continues to dangle limply in one hand. But her grip has softened and the angry expression on her face melts away. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"What wasn't?"

She sighs. "It wasn't supposed to be you. _He_ said I wouldn't have to see you… That there were other Digidestined now and that we could use them instead. It wasn't supposed to be you."

I frown. "Why not? Because I'd know who you were?"

She shakes her head. "Because I didn't know how I'd feel if I saw you. I didn't want to know."

"How you'd feel? What do you mean?"

She bites her lip. "I was afraid. I hadn't seen you in so long I had forgotten..."

I grimace. Something about her words is unsettling me. Still, I know what she is now. No need to hold punches anymore. "You're Sora's clone. Aren't you?"

She frowns, bewildered. And then she laughs and shakes her head. "Stupid Tai," she says. "I **_am_** Sora."

I have to stare at her for a long time.

"…No you're not."

She nods, her mirth dying away. "I am. I'm Sora... The _real_ Sora."

"No. You're not."

"I… I know it's hard to believe." She lowers her head. "It's hard for me too. But it's the truth."

I shake my head. "No. It can't be. We saved the real Sora."

"You saved my copy," she insists. When I keep shaking my head she pouts deeper. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Because the real Sora is back in the real world with her mother, probably slicing flowers or studying for a quiz or fixing her tennis racket or something."

She looks incredulous. "I don't play tennis."

"You don't. Sora does."

She looks upset. "Tai, I am –"

"A fraud. A fake. I don't know how you came back or why… I have an idea but it doesn't matter. You aren't what you think you are. And if that's the case, then nine times out of ten that thing you want me to start up won't do what you think it will do. In fact, it'll make things worse..."

"Your name is Taichi Kamiya!"

She shouts it aloud. I blink, confused. "Eh?"

"You're Taichi Kamiya," she says again. "But you'd rather be called Tai because Taichi was your grandfathers' name and it makes you feel older. You're okay with it if it's a pretty girl calling you that, except whenever I did, because it usually meant you'd made me angry. You have a little sister named Kari who doesn't talk much but always brightens the room when she does. Your father tends to come home late after drinking and your mother can't cook so he lets you order out a lot. And you have a cat named Miko who is pure evil."

"What are you – "

"I'm trying to prove to you that I'm me. Look at me!"

I shake my head again. "It can't be…"

"You met me in a playground when we were four," she continues. "I was the only little girl with a soccer ball and you wanted to play. We kicked the ball around and made up rules because we didn't understand the game yet. We'd beg our moms to let us meet at that same playground every Saturday after that. When you were six you threw up in my favorite hat and blamed Mimi for it – knowing that I didn't like her back then. When you were eight your sister got really sick and you blamed yourself for it. It's the only time I've ever seen you cry. When we were ten some jerk tried to rough me up because I was a girl on the soccer team but was making more goals than half of them: you almost got kicked out of school for breaking his nose. Remember?"

I stare at her. It's all I can do. "…Maybe…"

"You see?"

I shake my head, my mind spinning. "How can… How is this…"

"I told you. I am Sora."

I frown. "Then why the lies? Why the amnesia? Why any of it?"

She looks down now. "He told me that you'd all have gotten used to the clone by now, and that if I just came out and told you that you wouldn't believe me. And he was right. I was right there in front of you, and you told me I wasn't me. That hurt."

"You keep saying 'he' and 'we'. Who are you talking about?"

She gives me a look. "You know."

I don't ask further. I do.

"I didn't like it at first either," she continues. "But we were wrong about him. He's not evil. He's just… driven for justice."

"Oh, is that what we're calling it?"

"All he wanted was for Etemon to be put to justice for what he did to him. Well Etemon got his. Thanks to you. But by then it was too late for him. And me. You'd made the mistake and taken off while the pyramid collapsed and we were trapped down here together."

"…How did you survive?"

She shakes her head lightly. "I don't know. There was darkness and then I woke up and I was back on the slab. There were people looking at me. Staring. Three pronged hands touching me while they spoke like I didn't exist. Trying to figure out what I was. You have no idea what I've been through."

"…Tell me."

She bites her lip, the machinegun quivering in her hands. "I was their plaything. For years I must have… I must have been their little doll. Something to poke at. They didn't care that I was human. And I couldn't do anything because I was stuck on the stupid slab. I don't know how long. It all blurs together. Three-fingered hands and people in weird robes glaring at me. It was a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. But then… then he reached me."

"You mean…?"

She nods. "He was there too... Had been for a while. They'd found him in the computer system. He was trapped inside. He had no control of this place anymore. He hadn't even been able to properly communicate until they'd repaired the system. And instead of helping him escape his prison they were trying to hack into his brain to drain him of all his knowledge. They were using him. Just like they were using me. They did something to him… to us. And now they're gone and the dark network is running amok on its own."

"So why are you helping him?"

She bites her lip. "When they'd finish experimenting on me he'd flash words on the screen to calm me down. He wanted a friend I think. It took him a long time to convince me that he was being sincere. I still remembered what he'd done to me. But… We'd both been abandoned. We were all each other had. So… so we decided to work together. He didn't have the energy to resist them or to regain control of the network, but he knew a digivice would. And once he reconnected to the dark network he'd be able to find me a way home."

"So you came up with a plan?"

"He did. He had limited access to some of the systems in the hub thanks to the repairs. He was going to release me so I could find those other digidestined. He knew he couldn't contact you himself. He knew you wouldn't trust him… not after what he'd done. But he also knew we were the only ones who could help. All we had to do was get me outside."

"How did you get free?"

She flinches, her eyes glaring beneath her brow. "They came here. Like always. Three of them. With their guns. Poking and prodding. They woke me with their noise. One of the guards made a joke. He put a hand on me. I remember screaming. _And then I was free_. He must have shortened the power in the hub I think, 'cause the whole room went dark."

She looks back up, glaring through bleary eyes fighting back tears. "Everything is a blur after that. I know they attacked me and tried to restrain me but… Things are hazy. I was so angry. All the pain they'd put me through… Us through… All I know is that when the lights returned and I came to, their data was disappearing and I was leaking data from my hands." She looks at me, her brown eyes somehow sending shivers down my spine. "I don't think it was mine."

The cold feeling that I usually get when something bad happens shoots up my spine and makes my hairs stand on end. "You killed them."

"I… I deleted them. They abused me and I fought back. I don't remember much of what happened, but I was still alive. I was alive and they were deleted. That means I won. It felt… good at first." She looks away again, as if she can't retell her story while being watched. "But something happened. There was a snap and then pain and then nothing. The next thing I remember is seeing words on the screen telling me to run. So I ran. The Gizmon came after me then. The scientists had built them for protection from warlords or something, he wasn't sure. All I knew was that they shoot anything that moves. So I kept running. And every corner there was a human with a scanner, or a Tamer and a rookie wandering aimlessly. And they were all shot down. I didn't stop to see if anyone else was okay. I had to get away from here Tai."

"And the rest?"

"If they didn't get out when I did they didn't get out at all. The door shut on me when I escaped. You saw it. They were locked inside with the rest of the Gizmon."

Her words hang in the air, making me sick to my stomach. I fight the urge to charge her, but it's hard. My face twists in to what I know is a terrible grimace. "You let them die."

She wavers, briefly. "I survived…"

"Is that what you call murder?" I accuse, my voice registering higher than I wanted. "Survival?"

Her head snaps back towards me, her eyes glowering with menace. "It was the only way to escape! I did what I had to do."

"That's a lie." I tell her outright. "You could have reasoned with them. Explained who you were, what was happening. Once you had the gun you could have knocked them out, or held them hostage till you knew how to reverse things, or something!"

"They don't care about the Digiworld Tai. All they cared about is lining their pockets!"

"They could have helped you. And you killed them…"

"So what? What are a few human lives for the sake of the Digiworld? _Our world_! Or have you forgotten that it's our duty to protect it?"

"No, I haven't forgotten." I tell her calmly.

"Then help me set things right!"

"I also remember," I continue, "That it's a digidestined's job to protect the innocent. That we were tasked to _save_ lives. And even though we have to delete… to kill, it's never without purpose. Never without just cause." I feel my blood boil as emotions wash over me. I do my best to suppress them. Matt would be proud. "When you took their lives you crossed a line. A line no one should cross. You're no Digidestined. You're no Tamer. You're just a murderer."

"Shut up! You don't get to talk. Not like that. Not to me! Do you have any idea what it's like to wake up on a slab as part of some monsters experiment?" She spits her words through clenched teeth, her eyes are on fire. "I waited for hours for you to rescue me, because I believed in you. And then when you finally get here, when you finally find me, you picked _her_. Why? Do you have any idea the kind of betrayal I felt? To feel abandoned by your best friend? By the boy you l…" She trails off briefly, as if the next word she said would be more than either of us could handle. She shakes her head, sniffling a little but never losing their temper. "…You care about? To wake up each and every morning thinking that he's off with your copy? And the only one… the only being in the universe willing to comfort you is the same monster who put you there in the first place? How would you feel!"

A part of me is devastated. "I-I'm sorry." I tell her.

"I don't need your 'sorrys' Tai. I need your help. Please. I… I just wanna go home. I haven't seen my mother in seven years, I… I don't even remember what she looks like anymore. Please! If you were ever really my friend you'll help us set this right. Help us end this!"

It's clear she believes every word. "…You just need my digivice?"

"Right."

"And the metal freak will gain control of the wires and get them to stop attacking people?"

"Right."

"And he'll bring us right back to the City of Odaiba right?"

"Right!"

"…"

"What?"

"There is no _City of Odaiba_."

"Hnn?"

"That's the first thing you said that let me know something was up. You said Odaiba was a city."

"So?"

"It's not. We're a district of Tokyo. Part of a much larger city."

"I… I don't…"

"It's not much of a difference," I admit. "But it is one Sora… the real Sora would have known."

"I… I just said my memory was hazy…"

"Your memory is completely faulty," I tell her with another sigh. "Like bits and pieces of Sora with gaps filled in with guess work.

"W-what are you talking about?"

"All that stuff you said earlier. Your memories of us. They're close. Real close. But close isn't good enough. Yeah, we met on a playground and yeah, we played soccer. But it was my ball. Sora had never played soccer before she met me. My sister's sweet, but even Sora knows how excitable Kari can get when she isn't sick. It's downright annoying. I didn't break that kid's nose. Sora did. I took the rap because she didn't want to deal with her mom. I had to pay that kid my lunch money for a week to keep him from ratting her out. But more than all that: I didn't choose between you and Sora. Hell, I didn't even get the chance. When I came in Biyomon told me which of you was the real thing, and that freak realized he was foiled. I didn't see what he did, to you. Maybe he hit 'save' or something. I don't know. But your memory _is_ faulty. No matter what he did to bring you back, he couldn't give you _all_ of her memories."

"B-Biyomon," she says, and I realize it's the first time she's thought of Sora's partner since regaining her memory. She shakes her head, refusing to believe me. "Lies…"

"We saved the real Sora. I'm sorry. But _you're_ her copy. A program. Like Digimon. Like the whole Digital world."

"…You're lying."

"You know I'm not."

"…"

"Rei?"

"That's not my name." Her voice is low and cold.

"It's the name I gave you."

"I don't want it anymore."

I take a deep breath. Her fingers are twitching on the edge of the gun. "…Are you gonna shoot me?"

"If… If I have to." She chokes out her words with a grimace. "All we need is your digivice. You don't have to be the one to plug it in."

"…We?"

She hesitates for only a moment. "…Please don't make me do this."

"I'm not holding the gun. I can't make you do anything."

She bites her lip. "I want you to do it because you want to save the world. I want you to do it because it's the right thing to do. I want you to do it for me. Please. This is the only way. You have to believe me!"

I look at her, this image of my friend. It's clear she believes it. Every word.

But belief isn't always truth.

"This place hadn't had human contact in four years, remember?" I keep my composure calm, my demeanor friendly, and a hand on my digivice. "We came in ninety-nine. MAGAMI didn't show up 'till two-thousand-three. Do you really think you'd have survived by yourself without food or water for that long?"

She flinches at that. It's clear she hadn't thought about the interim between Etemon's death and MAGAMI's grand entrance into the broken pyramid. "I… I'm r-real." She tries to convince herself.

"You're real in this world." I tell her. "But you aren't _real_. You aren't human."

"Then what am I?"

Her question is genuine. She really wants to know. Which makes saying this even harder. "The hell if I know."

She eyes me, not giving away her response. We are silent for a moment, together in this dusty control room that holds a dark secret I'm starting to understand. She waits for something better from me, another answer… A reason to exist. It's something I cannot give. From the silence, a low menacing voice I've never heard from the real Sora slips through dried lips and pours towards me with all the vile of a cobra. "…You have to give us your digivice Tai."

I respond, slowly and carefully. "No. I don't."

"Tai." She warns. "Give it here."

"No."

The gun swivels up to meet me; the deep black barrel aimed directly at my chest. "Do it."

"Sorry, _So-rah_." I force a grin. "But you're going to have to shoot me."

She looks at me. Then she raises the gun to my head…

And all I hear is the sound of clicking.

In the momentary distraction she takes to realize that her weapon is empty, I drop to the floor, sweeping my leg out from under me. I catch her just below the kneecaps, and the momentum and weight of my attack sends her sprawling to the floor. The gun scatters beside her.

I leap for it, just as she rolls over. We struggle on top of one another, both our arms reaching out for the weapon. With a grunt I press my hand onto the back of her head and hold her to the floor. As fast as Sora is, I've always been stronger. She howls underneath me as I catch the machinegun in my hands. I roll away from her, and she briefly tries to scramble to her feet. But I have the gun now.

I raise it above my head and bring it down full force onto the floor. She cries out for me to stop, but I ignore her. The data inside the weapon vibrates in my hands, the wireframe that holds it together bending under the pressure. I bring it down again and it's data corrupts, irreparable. A final swing and the gun shatters into a million digital pieces, never to be used again.

Things are quiet after that. The black and blue bits of data from the gun float in the air between us, dissipating into nothingness. I look over to where she's crouched, breathing heavily and shaking the buzzing in my arms. "It's over," I tell her. "There's nothing left for you here."

There is a moment's silence. She rises from her crouch; fists clenched, and begins to storm slowly but steadily towards me. It's clear she wants a fight, but that isn't what has me standing transfixed. It's the sound. The sounds she making - low coughs followed by a gutsy moan - would chill the bones of a Flarizamon. I listen, bewildered and frightened and curious all at once.

She's crying.

She tries to swing a fist, but she's such an emotional mess that the attack comes off weak and unmotivated. I duck underneath and catch her by the opposite shoulder, sweeping my inside leg under hers. We crash together against the floor, fighting against one another in the quiet of the hub.

She struggles. Between tears and grunts and curses she struggles against my hands. I'm as gentle as I can be. I'm not trying to hurt her, not trying to keep her. Trying simply to calm her. To hold her. I don't think she's ever really been held before. Her arms and legs thrash still, but with each second it' slows. It weakens. _She weakens_. Until she gives up, finally. The gravity of her identity has devastated her, and she has lost the will to keep fighting it any longer. Her arm wraps around my neck slowly, clutching me for all she's worth while she fights her sobs.

Briefly I entertain the thought that Sora would feel like this. I know she wouldn't. And I know I shouldn't think about it.

I sigh. Matt was right about me, regardless. I _had_ started thinking of her as a replacement. Not consciously maybe. I knew she was hiding something for quite a while. But the _feeling_ was there until it all fell to pieces and I saw her for what she was. A very real feeling I haven't felt since I was twelve years old for a girl with ginger-red hair and hazel brown eyes. A girl who I never got around to admitting that I…

_Tsk_. I can't say it, even now.

_The elephant in the room…_

I'm never going to get that from Sora. I certainly won't get if from Rei now.

"T-Tai?" She finally manages.

"What is it?" I respond.

"I hate you." She whispers.

I frown, rising to my feet. Her hands are still clutched to mine. Even saying that, she doesn't want me to leave. "You know why you're not Sora?"

She makes a sound. It's not a known language, but it's questioning. _Pleading_. So I tell her.

"The real Sora would never have pulled the trigger."

She turns her head to look at me, and for the first time I think she's accepted the truth. I loosen my grip and back away. She sinks to the floor, defeated. "S-stupid Tai…" She swears at me. "All you had to do was give us your digivice. That's all. Then everything w-would be set right."

"Everything like what?"

She hesitates. "…E-everything."

"…You have no idea what he'd actually do with it, do you?"

Her voice loses some of its gusto, but she manages to force herself on. "I know we need to give him the power to try. And that's enough."

"That's enough for you?"

"It's a purpose. A reason for being."

I smile, my heart reaching out for her. She glares back. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know how I'd feel."

"If what?"

I look away. "If I knew I wasn't real."

"I _am_ real."

"You know what I mean. You aren't Sora."

She looks to the ground. "…I should be."

But her body at least has given up believing the lie. I sigh. "Hey… Let me get you to a friend. Gennai. He can -"

"I know who the hell Gennai is." She hisses.

I blink. "Well… He'll know what you are. What to do with you."

"Tai?"

Her voice is soft. Pleading. I kneel beside her. "Yeah?"

"You think… I'd give up so easily?"

I feel the pain before I even see the cold bade that slashes through my arm.

I spin with the motion, teeth clenched in pain, rolling out of the way of further attacks and cursing myself. The clone holds the hilt of the blade she'd kept strapped to that lovely thigh, a thick shard of steel that's pierced through my arm. It isn't a large blade, but it's enough. The black ooze of my data sizzles from the tip and dissipates into nothing. She grimaces through a smile, rising to her feet and pacing her way towards me.

"You don't know me at all. Do you?" She beams with glee as she tosses off my jacket. I look into her eyes. They're almost blood red.

She's lost it. Truly and completely gone nuts.

I've never had to fight Sora before. I've had _fights_ with Sora; big, heated arguments that left one or both of us heartbroken. I've felt a Sora punch to the arm on occasions where I deserved it. But never this. She lunges at me, her knife aiming to pierce through my chest. I lean away; my only goal being to avoid her right arm. Her only goal, now, is to kill me.

I use every trick I ever learned in soccer to avoid her. I've been extremely lucky thus far. The blade has only just grazed my arm. The pain is intense, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to block out the scorching heat. It feels like it's running down my bicep, right down into the bone. He's cut me deep. I'm not sure how deep, but enough that I'm going to need attention soon. Right now I can't think of that. I need to focus.

If I don't I'm dead.

She lunges again, and I spin to my side to avoid a fatal blow. It feels like she's getting faster. She isn't. I'm getting slower. The knife crosses up, and I duck under it hoping to swing out of her way. I don't see her fist crash into my jaw until it's too late. The blow sends me spinning towards digi-terra firma. Just because she isn't the real Sora doesn't mean she doesn't still pack a mean hook.

The Sora clone shrieks like a banshee and starts slicing at me. Her blows are in vain however. I refuse to die like this. Not today. As she comes down she manages to cut into the fabric of my shirt, but no more. I spin beneath her, grabbing her by the arm. We struggle for control, our focus purely on the blade. The clones grip is tight, and her rage is fueling her. But no matter how fast Sora is compared to me… no matter how smart… she'll never be as strong. I slam her hand into the ground with force, breaking her grip on the blade. She yelps, but by then I've pushed her away. By the time she returns to her feet, the knife is in my hands. She charges anyway, crazy thing, but this time I'm ready for her. As she connects I roll with her, the two of us tumbling to the ground in a heap. I end up on top.

And then everything is very still between us. One hand holds to her wrists. The other to the knife. My knee is between her legs. The only sound I hear is the sound of her breathing. _She looks just like her in this light_. There are plenty of differences, yes. Her hair's too long. Her skin's too dark. Her face is a mask of anger and pain. But her eyes, they haunt me to the core.

"Tai?"

She's looking at me with those big brown eyes.

My hand lowers the knife.

She knees me hard between the legs and pins me in the momentary distraction, rolling up from under me and dropping me on my face. I wheeze, the breath knocked out of me, and instinctively cup myself, leaving my midsection exposed. She kicks me in the stomach when she gets up, hard and swift. A second strike and I roll over. I don't fight back. I can't move. My arm is numb from loss of data and I'm just so tired now. She presses her knee directly into my chest. Her hand once again holds the knife. There's nothing more I can do alone.

"You're gonna… kill me, huh." I grunt.

"All we need… Is your digivice." She wheezes.

I gasp. "It won't be… your home… you know t-that now."

She eyes the blade with fascination. "I can… make it… a home."

_She's going to kill her_. If she gets out of this place she's going to kill Sora. And there's nothing I can do about it.

She smiles, a deranged look I never want to see again. "This has… been… a fun little adventure… hasn't it… Ta-i-chi?"

"Go… _hack_ yourself."

She lets herself grin. "You… First."

The blade is going to pierce straight into my heart. This is it. She raises her dark arm.

A blur of orange scales and pearl white claws ram into her headlong.

The knife falls to the floor. Within moments my partner has the clone by the arm; gripped in his sharp white teeth. She screams, punching at Agumon's snout. It's no use. Agumon has jaws of steel. He bares down, tugging the fake girl to her knees. I take the time Agumon has lent me to do two things. First, I grab hold of the blade, and hold on to it like no tomorrow. And two – I breathe.

"Thanks buddy." It's barely a whisper.

"MmuurrrMMmeMmm," Agumon attempts. He isn't expected to speak well. His mouth is full.

My head is spinning, my nuts still hurt, and I'm losing the feeling in my arm a little. She tried to kill me just now. _She actually tried to kill me._ I take a step towards her, my body on autopilot. The clone struggles again, and Agumon squeezes harder. She yelps in fright, and for the first time I see what can only be described as true fear in her eyes. Not the _nicey-nice_ faces she was making earlier. She is deathly afraid.

The knife quivers in my hand.

"Tai!"

I know that voice.

I turn to see Matt Ishida taking deep breaths at the control hub's entrance, Gabumon close behind. I'm not sure how he got through the maze of the ruined pyramid, but I'm glad to see him. He looks worried though. His steel blue eyes waver from me, to the knife in my hand, then back to me. I drop my arm to the side. The knife dances to the floor, useless. It's a digidestineds' job to protect the innocent. To save lives rather than destroy them. I can't forget that. I take a deep breath. "Yo, Matt…"

My world goes spinning before I know what to do. I feel like I'm falling…

* * *

**GODFALL**

**13**

**Digimon**


	14. Chapter 14

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 14

**A/N:** This fic will be taking a brief two-to-three week hiatus to give me time to get some work on other projects done. In the meantime, let me know what you think about the goings on so far in review. I love to hear from you all.

* * *

He's falling.

He stumbles to one knee, clearly loopy. His body sways back and forth above the hard brick floor. In a moment he may crash. I dash towards him, and in seconds he's in my arms. Gently I lay him across my lap and lean his head into my chest, fearing the worst. My concern is unfounded. He moans and rolls about in my arms, gripping his wounded limb in obvious pain. It's a deep cut, his data sizzling around it. Joe's going to have a field day suturing this wound. But he's conscious. He's alive. And for that I am thankful.

"Tai…"

He smiles and looks up at me through bleary eyes. "Oi, Matt-y… W-what took you so l-long?"

I sigh, thankful he's still breathing. Walking the corridors had been something of a hassle, particularly with those weird spider-shaped things lurking about. It was only thanks to the map that Izzy gave us that me and Gabumon found a shortcut to the hub. Even with that though, I worried that I would be too late, and that there would be no body to be found.

I don't have to worry now. I got here just in time. It's something of a minor miracle, but I got here on time.

"Are you alright?" I ask him.

He breaths deeply. "A little d-dizzy. I lost a lot of data…"

I look down to his arm. A section of it buzzes every few seconds as if its television static, and I begin to worry. I don't know if he's cut to the wiring or not, but it's going to take some time for that to heal. But he's flexing his fingers, which means it's still functionall. We'll have to count our minor blessings today. I look back towards his tired face. "Hang on."

"Nn…"

I bite my lip and take a closer look at his injury. He's going to need his data stabilized, otherwise it'll keep dissipating faster than it can regenerate and he may lose the arm. I look around for something to wrap around his arm, but there is no material I can see that I can use to our advantage. I frown, adjusting my designer shirt and –

My shirt.

I flinch just thinking about it. Seven-hundred fifty yen. A _Miliano Suchibara_ original design. The finest wool from Scottish farms brought down to Japan and weaved together to form a brilliant work of art. And all I can think about is: how great the sleeve would be as a protective gauze.

It's Tai we're talking about though. Is anyone really surprised?

I take a deep breath, say a little prayer to forces I'm not sure I believe in, and pull the sleeve. The edge of the shoulder rips at the seams, the sleeve falling down my arm and into a lengthened strip. I sigh. My arm is exposed, and damaged strings are tickling the edge of my shoulder. I'm going to hate myself in the morning. But I ignore all that and focus on my leaders wound. He needs my help more than I need a new shirt.

"Here we go," I warn him. And then I take the sleeve and wrap it around his wound, tight.

"Ow!" He yelps, and briefly struggles before settling back into my arms.

"Sorry," I mumble as I begin the process of tying his new bandage together.

"Crap-tacular Matt! What the hell?

"Somebody's feeling better…" I grumble. He shoots me some obscenities but little else. I look to my makeshift bandage. Thankfully, while his arm still reverberates slightly, it appears that the sleeve is indeed enough to keep his data from leaking further. I sigh, relieved.

"Can you stand?"

He grumbles an affirmative. Tai struggles out of my lap and to his feet, wobbling on the ascent but finally settling on his heels. In an instant his good arm is across my shoulder, and I give support where his tired legs cannot. That's what being an XO is for.

We look over to our captive. Agumon still holds the girl – now weaponless and looking less than confident in his powerful jaws. She squirms against him in vain. Agumon has jaws of steel.

"L-let go of me you fat lizard!"

"HmmMmmHmm? HmmHmmmnm!"

"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full," Gabumon suggests, and Agumon snorts smoke in his direction.

She continues to struggle uselessly, red strands of hair swaying just below her shoulders. Her face is a wash of terror and fury, and with each passing second one can feel the desperation as it fills her lungs. I stare at her. Hard.

She still looks just like her. Now I know why.

"Sora's clone." Tai grunts.

"I know. Izzy told me."

He blinks, unsurprised. "Huh…"

I frown. "I thought you two said she was deleted."

He nods. "That's what we thought. When they kick started the program they must have woke her up."

"Huzzah for curious scientists," I murmur.

"Don't you love 'em?" Tai grumbles back.

"Heh…"

He shifts beside me, his arm tightening behind my neck. "Nn…Where's Davis and Ken? Weren't they still coming?"

I sigh again. "I had to send them back to Neo-Delhi."

"Eh?"

I bite my lip, remembering the look of the dangerous wires as they wormed their way out of the ground. "The wires are growing everywhere. It'll reach the city soon."

"Guess_ this thing _couldn't even wait for us at all, huh?" He says with a curious look on his face.

I turn to him, trying to read his expression. It's a lazy look, like a disappointed father too busy to chastise his child. It's directed to the girl, whose manic expression is doing horrible things to her pretty face. Tai doesn't seem disturbed by this. In fact he looks pretty calm all things considered.

"You knew the whole time didn't you?" I finally ask him.

"Nn... Not the whole time." He groans, but turns and gives me a tired grin. "Figured it out when she didn't flirt with you first. Real women always flirt with the fruity ones first."

I smile, in spite of myself. "You'll be alright."

He flashes a toothy grin back at me. "Heh…"

We share a laugh. It feels good.

"Well, getting in was an adventure enough," I say after out laughter dies down. "We're gonna have to find a way out in a minute."

"Yeah," he nods. "We're gonna have to figure out how to get those guys down too."

I look back up to the eight survivors – if they are indeed still alive. They float in some sort of container, their mouths covered with what I hope is an oxygen mask. Some sort of black tape appears to be wrapped around their bodies, at least giving them a little modesty. Four men, two women, and a boy and a girl. They're unconscious, but I think they're alive. Troubling though, is the sight of several black wires connected directly to their pods extracting something from the inside.

Black wires that we've dealt with before.

"…It is the Dark Network, isn't it?"

He sighs, milk-chocolate eyes glancing away from me. "I'm almost one-hundred percent sure."

I frown. "That means…"

He nods. "_He's_ probably here."

I don't ask who _he_ is. I already know.

My frown grows deeper, and my eyes turn to the large computer console hanging in the air. Aside from our captives grunts things are quiet around here. Too quiet. It almost feels like we're being watched by some unseen force. Odds are I'm not too far off. I sigh. Never a dull moment.

"M-Matt!"

Her voice throws me from my thoughts. I frown and turn to her. "What do you want?"

She turns and glares at Agumon. "Let me go you big liz-" she yelps when he shakes his head around, yanking at her arm.

"MmmMmmNmmHmmMmmMmMmmn?" Agumon attempts at conversation. He fails miserably, but you can't fault him for trying.

She scowls but stops jerking around and sits on her knees while her arm dangles helplessly in Agumon's jaws. "Ow… M-Matt. This is all just a misunderstanding. We just need to-"

"Don't bother." I cut her off with a wave of my free hand. "I know what you are now."

She blinks, desperation sinking into her face. "I don't… Whatever! I don't care what you think I am. I need a digivice. Either one. You're not going to be able to upload the anti-virus otherwise!"

Tai frowns behind me. "Is that why you tried to kill me?"

"I… I w-wasn't really going to k-kill you," she stutters.

"You pulled the trigger on my face!"

"I… Nn… I was only getting my revenge," she says like it's a perfectly normal excuse. "You tried to kill me too. We're even now."

"I never tried to kill you," Tai's voice wavers.

"You. Abandoned. Me!" She hisses a little when she talks now. It's kind of unnerving.

Tai shakes his tired head. "I didn't abandon you! If I'd have known –"

"Save it." I tell him. "It's not worth arguing over."

"I'm not an 'it'!" She roars.

I blink. "I… Not you. The argument is –"

"I'm Sora."

I blink. _What the hell did she just say!_

Tai sighs. "You think you're Sora."

"I **_am_** Sora!"

She struggles against Agumon's teeth and tries to rise, but he jerks down and holds her firm. She bites her lip and glares at him and us. Our expressions don't change. She gives up a little later, her eyes dropping to the floor below to avoid our gaze.

"I should be Sora," she decides.

"You're not," I tell her frankly.

"How do you know!" she snaps. "You weren't even here!"

"Sora's my girlfriend."

She opens her mouth to say something, and then stops. The expression on her face melts from anger and desperation into confusion and… disbelief? "That doesn't… I would never…"

I blink. "Eh…"

She shakes her head back and forth, lowering her eyes to the ground. "I don't… why…"

"Rei?"

"Whywhywhywhywhy…"

She's about to snap.

"Why won't anyone BELIEVE ME!"

The next few things happen in a blur.

We hear Agumon yelp first, his claws reaching up to his eye. That's how we know she's loose. Gabumon snarls and leaps after her. She ducks under his flying tackle and lets him crash to the floor. She kicks Agumon in the skull, then turns. Her gaze is towards us for a few seconds, but her eyes aren't focused on me. She's headed for Tai, I realize.

I have to stop her.

She reaches for him, trying to catch a hold of his battered frame. I catch her by the waist before she gets too far, hoisting her in the air so that she can go no further. She struggles in my grip, writhing about against me. Tai approaches with a hand to his arm, trying to help, but he only comes close enough for her to plant two boots in his chest. He flies backwards, the wind knocked out of him. Thankfully, Gabumon has recovered enough to catch him, and my partner breaks his fall a little.

"Stop!" I shout at her. She doesn't listen of course, instead punching at my clenched fingers around her waist and trying desperately to free herself. Failing that, she snarls and brings her elbow to my face, popping me hard in the nose. The momentary distraction is enough to force me to release my fingers, and she almost escapes my grasp. I reach out again and catch her by the hand, pulling her back. She spins back and falls into my chest.

Breifly, I entertain the thought that my girlfriend feels exactly like this, and I panic. The look she gives me next scares me: not because it's a glare, or a threat of a look of hatred. She looks just like Sora when she needs to be comforted, and it's reeking havoc on my brain. She notices.

"Matt," she whispers. Her lips are almost on mine.

"N... Nn..." I can't say anything.

She looks at me with those hazel brown eyes. "You're too late."

She shoves me. Hard. I stumble on my heels for a few steps, trying to maintain my balance before crashing to my butt. She frowns, her face full of determination, and spins away from me, her boots digging into the old brick floor. It's only then that I realize what she was doing: only when it's too late to stop her do I realize her goal. My eyes shoot wide open as my hand reaches for my empty belt buckle.

The clone has my digivice.

Gabumon leaps after her again, but she's out of the way before he's off the ground, soaring high above him as he lands hard on his stomach. Agumon, shaking off her earlier attack, charges from the front, but he just isn't fast enough. Her toned legs cross the distance between me and the computer console quickly. By the time our partners have caught up she's inserted my digivice into the receptacle and pressed upon it with all her might.

Agumon and Gabumon finally catch hold of her arms, but by then it's already too late. The clone heaves in deranged satisfaction as the little nodule takes my digivice and sinks beneath the metal casing.

"Crap." I groan, before turning back to Tai. "You okay?"

"Nn… I'll live." He grunts.

I bite my lip. "Gabumon?"

"I'm fine Matt."

"Agumon?"

"She poked me in the eye!" He snarls, his teeth dangerously close to her cheek.

I sigh and turn back to the girl, struggling in vain against the combined strength of Agumon and Gabumon. I glare at her, showing little sympathy. "Take it out."

"Gg… Why would I?" She snorts.

My frown deepens, and I approach her with clenched fists. "Get my digivice out of there. Now."

"You should… Nn… Be thanking me," she practically sings. "The computer is up. He'll be able to regain control of the dark network now. We won! And now we all get to go home together!"

I furrow my brows. I don't believe her. I turn back to Tai, who has struggled back to his feet. "Tai, what does this thing do?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know. And neither does she."

"I've told you already," she spits. "Wonders."

I frown. "Tai?"

"She doesn't know," he reiterates. "I don't know who brought her back, but she's been brainwashed into thinking that this'll help somehow. She's willing to do anything to see it through."

"What do you mean, anything?" Gabumon asks.

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and letting his injured arm rest at his side. "She killed them," he admits. "Three of them at least. She left the rest to die in here."

"The researchers?"

He nods, turning to the survivors in their pods. "I don't think those eight belong to them. If they were here with the first team, I don't think they exist anymore."

I shake my head. "Why?"

The girl fidgets under our partners grip, suddenly looking ashamed. "It… It was them or me."

I turn to face her. My eyes wide. She turns away, unable to face me. That just makes my blood boil. "Well now it's just you! Their lives are on your hands. So you're going to tell me everything you –"

I don't get a chance to finish. The lights – already low in here – dim to almost black. There is the whirr of far away gears and the hiss of steam. I don't know where these sounds are coming from but I'm a little concerned.

The girl however, is smiling.

"See! Now you two can…"

The light dims again, and we hear the buzz of electricity before the light shuts off entirely. I reach out quickly behind me and catch hold of Tai. He yelps – the data beneath my fingers vibrates like a massage machine. I've grabbed the wrong arm. _Matt you're an idiot_.

"Matt you're an idiot!"

"S-sorry."

"Nobody panic." Gabumon advises.

There is a far away hiss, and the lights snap on again, blaring down on us unrelentingly. Agumon grips the girls arm tighter. "Can we start panicking now?"

We ignore him. Instead, we look up at the giant screen just under the eight survivors. It flashes on, providing more light than we had before. In the far left corner, a single white cursor blinks on and off again for several seconds. The five of us can only stare in shock when the cursor begins to move, words forming in English after it.

NOTICE: QUANTUM ACCELERATOR HAS BEEN INSERTED.

"What's it say?" Tai asks me.

"Something about a… Quantum Accelerator?" I answer.

DELIBERATING…

He frowns in the darkness. "The hell is a quantum accellerator?"

"I... I think it's my digivice." I tell him.

The computer is still typing.

DELIBERATING…

DELIBERATING…

…

APPROVED. SYSTEM START…

"What's it saying?" Tai frowns.

The clones eyes dart between us. "Quickly. You have to insert your D-Terminals now. The system will only be accessible for a few moments before…"

GREETINGS **:)** The screen types.

"Okay, my English is terrible," Tai confesses, "but that doesn't look like computer speak

"Is that a smiley?" Agumon asks.

Gabumon frowns. "Matt, what's going on?"

"…It's the life form."

"Eh?"

My blood runs cold. "I think it's trying to talk to us…"

There are a few seconds more of silence, each of us staring up at the computer screen... waiting. We don't have long to wait. The single cursor again starts moving across the screen, leaving letters along it's wake. When I decipher what it's written, my fears grow deeper.

…HELLO DIGIDESTINED…

We all shift uncomfortably, but we don't have time to discuss the latest sentence the 'lifeform' has given us. The screen hits a bit of static before coming in bright and clear – revealing… us. I frown. Somewhere in the room just above us is a camera. I frown and look up. A single red eye lies flat at the top of the screen. This thing has been watching us the whole time. "Tai," I point him in the direction of the flashing red light.

"Hmm," his frown deepens.

The girl shakes her head. "I… I don't understand. It was supposed to…"

Our image corrupts on the screen before she can finish, turning grey for a moment. Tiny words in English run down the side, but they come so quickly that I can't tell what's going on. Finally, the screen itself types out a few words.

BEGINNING THE DOWNLOAD…

Images start shifting on the screen above us then. Flashes of things we haven't seen. They pause briefly on a girls face – The clones face, I realize. She looks distraught on the image. Unsure. Around her are bodies dissipating – whose, I can't tell. But there are tell-tale signs of a deleted beings rising into the air. The images roll slowly, showing her ginger hair flowing in the wind. She shakes her head at us and turns, covering herself and keeping low to hide her exposed body. She is running away from something, we aren't sure exactly. But her pretty brown eyes are flashing with terror as she turns away from the stationary viewer, which can do nothing as she disappears down the corridor. The lights are flickering in the darkness as the last of the bodies fades into nothingness.

The girls eyes face the computer screen in surprise. "This is…"

The scene morphs rapidly from there, speeding through images where the girl apparently… kills guards? She looks like she's plugged to something, I can't tell. Tai doesn't look as shocked as I: maybe he knew, maybe she told him. Doesn't matter. When the image stops she's on a long metal slab. She looks younger: eleven or twelve. She isn't breathing and her eyes are closed. The film moves slowly as three-pronged metallic hands hover over her with various instruments. In the corner of the screen I see a few figures in robes not unlike the ones we saw her wearing in the beginning.

"A… A recording."

Tai shakes his head. "Not a recording."

I blink. "Then what?"

He turns to me. "Memories."

The girl bites her lip. "W-whose?"

The next image is dimmer, the lights faded in the background. But we can make out a little. It's the hub still, darker and worn. But now it isn't so empty. There are figures we can see. Humans. They walk around cautiously with pads and papers and flashlights and other devices whose make and models we can't be sure of. Our view is stationary and unmoving, but we see them all well. We see clearly when a skinny middle aged man with dark hair and glasses leans into the camera, followed by a brunette far younger than he. The brunette is a pretty thing, one who looks real familiar. The two humans stare back into the camera side by side as the image begins speeding up again.

"What is going on?" Gabumon whispers.

"He… He's just backing up his systems," The clone repeats to herself. "That's all… It's just."

"No." Tai shakes his head. "This is something else."

More jumbles. More flashes as we roll back this vision of time. The hub is lighter when we slow now. Younger. Full of yellows and gold's and browns. The vision is moving and shifting now. It has a body, a form. It's three-pronged hands are reaching out to the same metal slab and what looks like the same little girl positioned on top of it. But it isn't, I know. It can't be. That's Sora.

_My_ Sora.

I want it to stop. I want to get in there and do something. But I can't. What I'm seeing happened seven years ago. And my best friend beat me to it. Of course back then he wasn't really my best friend. And she wasn't mine.

The video-memory continues. Sora struggles against her metal bonds while this thing presses buttons on the side of her prison. There's a weird orange light rolling over her; she looks terrified. The creature we're looking through pays her no mind, satisfied that his machine is working. He then turns around.

And there, across from the hanging screen, being built up wire by wire and bit by bit, is an exact replica of the little ginger girl lying on the slab. She's nearly finished, the only bits that need completing are her forehead up and the tips of her fingers. And three-fingered hand pokes at the skin of her nearly finished arm – the incomplete clone doesn't respond. Her eyes stare ahead blankly, even as a metallic arm guides a black wire to pierce the base of her neck.

We're seeing what he was seeing, when he was seeing it; rolling through his memories like a movie rolls through film.

The screen flips backwards once more. Now we're outside of the hub, flying across the deserts of Server, following lines of black wires at impressive speeds. Our viewer swivels in mid air to look behind him. A ridiculous looking monkey-thing with a pair of sunglasses and a teddy bear sewn into his waist is chasing after him. Our viewer raises a three-pronged hand and fires odd shaped bullets from the tips of his fingers at his monkey pursuer. The enemy is quick on his feet though, and manages to dodge the attacks we see. His mouth moves – he's speaking but we can't hear it. The monkey holds out his hand and a strange orb of dark green energy builds in his palm. The camera has no time to prepare himself before the orb is tossed into him. Our view rumbles and flits in and out of blackness, and we knew he's been hit. He tumbles between the sand and the sun until the victim lands with his eyes facing the horizon. We see the black wires continue to snake off, and in the distance notice the silhouette of an upside down pyramid.

"That's what happened to him." I realize.

"This place was his," Tai nods. "Etemon invaded and defeated him."

"We kinda knew that before." Agumon states.

Gabumon shakes his fur. "But seeing it happen from his eyes…"

The girl can only stare.

"Rei?" Tai asks, and I frown. After all that, he's still worried about her. He's still calling her Rei…

She shakes her head again and again in disbelief. "This isn't what he said would happen…"

The screen jumbles, one last time. We are in the hub again. Once more it is light, though this image must have been recorded long ago, for everything looks so new. The visionary is still mobile. He is young. The smooth golden floor is layered with inanimate black wires. Three-fingered hands lift and move them this way and that, here and there: connecting some and discarding others. Finally, a hand beckons, and a large screen drops in front of us, it's image acting as a mirror.

And for the first time in seven years we see him. Four metal legs jutting out from the side of a cylindrical base. A large metallic mouth connected to a much smaller jaw protrude expressionless, razor sharp teeth extending outside in perfectly shaped triangles. A perfectly rounded eye rests on one side of his steel mask, while the other, exposed by damage, stares unblinking out into the expanse of time. And resting there, floating behind a glass case, is the brain of the smartest Digimon in the world. We know for sure who he is now.

So too, does the girl.

She takes a step forwards. Agumon and Gabumnon pull against her for only a moment, before letting her go. There's not much point now. She's gotten what she wanted. Gingerly, she takes another step towards the monitor, scarred hands pacing beside her waist with clenched fists.

"Is… Is it still you?" She asks with trepidation.

The monitor remains blank a moment more before typing: YES.

"Good," she tries to sound relieved. "I was worried. Um… W-what's with the humans?"

THEY ARE BEING HELD.

"By what? The black wires?"

CORRECT.

"Are they... are they still alive?"

FROM WHAT I CAN TELL.

"W-what is it doing to them?"

EXTRACTING THEIR DATA.

She flinches. "If... If you regain control of the system, can you stop it ?"

I CAN.

Tai bites his lip and steps forward, his good hand clenched to my makeshift bandage. "Rei, you can't trust him. You know that!"

"He's gotten me this far," she turns and glares at him. "Which is more than I can say for you. And that isn't my name."

He goes to say more, but I raise a hand. "We've dealt with this guy before and paid a terrible price. Think about what you're doing here." I warn her.

She ignores me, turning her back on us and facing the monitor. "Is everything to your liking?"

The computer types: YES.

She takes a deep breath. "You… You promised now. Let them upload the anti-virus so the wires can stop-"

The monitor wastes no time in responding: NO.

She blinks, the weriness she felt during the flashing of memories etched in her form. "W-why not? Y-you said you couldn't control them anymore, so…"

THE SYSTEM IS BEGINNING TO RESPOND TO MY IMPULSES. IN MOMENTS, I WILL BE IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF MY FACULTIES. THERE IS NO NEED NOW TO DESTROY THEM.

"T-then at least hold up your end of the deal," she demands. "You got what you wanted. Now it's my turn. I want the wires pulled from the sands like you promised. I want you to let those humans go. And I… I want to go home."

Upon the screen, in bright letters, a final message types itself out for us.

FOOLISH CONSTRUCT. YOU ARE HOME.

If this clone is capable of having blood, then I've just seen it wash away from her face.

"Rei?" Tai hesitates.

She looks at the screen in sudden terror. "No…"

She doesn't finish. The screen goes completely dark for a moment, before a pair of red dots burn their way through the LCD. Rei… the clone… whatever she is stumbles in retreat, her mouth agape at the angry eyes glaring at us. She turns around. From the beginning - from her creation till now - she'd been deceived. And now she was about to meet her maker. Literally.

She gives us one final look of horror.

The first cable comes out of nowhere, bursting out of a compartment underneath the console and ramming the girl in the spine. There's a sickening snap as her data reformats to include the black line she's now connected to. She screams, and Tai lurches forward to save her: I hold him back. I have to. The blood is rushing from my face now and I feel a cold chill prick the hairs on my arms. There's nothing we can do for her right now. _He_ has her.

Two more wires fire from secret compartments in the floor, wrapping around the girls legs and invading her defenses via her outer thigh. More shoot out from the ceiling and break through her skin, plugging beneath her shoulder blades, her hips, her arms. At some point she stops screaming. She stops doing a whole lot of things after that. When all is done, she hangs like a marionette, her 'strings' unmoving, making no sound.

Briefly I think she may be dead.

And then her body jerks as the black wires that have embedded themselves inside of her begin pumping something into her wiring, for we see the little bulges race from their point of origin inside of her. The body rises from it's slump, her extremeties twitching as something invades. Our partners scramble back to us, the same look of shock and horror etched on their faces. Finally, the pumping ceases, and all we're left with is a girl whose back, legs, and arms remain connected to the Dark Network. Her face is still as pretty as ever, but now it looks so lifeless. That is until it tilts up and opens it's eyes.

Eyes that now burn bright red.

"AH, TO HAVE A TRUE VOICE AGAIN!"

Her voice is a high screech, each syllable punctuated with impressive articulation. It's masculine, with maybe a hint of European to it, though I'm sure that last part is just my imagination. It's also cold, calculated, methodical… evil. That, I don't imagine. I frown. I've heard that voice before.

The clone flexes her fingers, the black wires embedded in her skin pulsing with dark energy. She smiles manically now, and I know at least that this smile doesn't belong to her. She turns to us, her head tilted with amusement. "SUCH A DETESTABLE FORM. BUT ONE I SHALL HAVE TO DEAL WITH FOR THE MOMENT IF I AM TO BE RID OF YOU." The grin grows wider, to the point that I wonder if the clone is in pain. "IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, HASN'T IT DIGIDESTINED?"

There's no doubt anymore. No confusion. We have met our enemy. And we know him well.

Tai takes a step forward. "So you've been here all this time… Eh, Datamon?"

* * *

**GODFALL**

**14**

**Digimon**


	15. Chapter 15

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 15

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay. Pseudo back on track now.

* * *

Datamon. The data monster.

And a real pain in the…

Well, arm right now. Instinctively I bring my good hand to the makeshift bandage Matt gave me. Beneath it I feel the awkward sensation of moving data – like holding a small, vibrating beanbag in my palm. It's a dull ache now, which is good I guess, and I'm feeling less pain with every second. But it's still a distraction: a distraction I can't afford to have. Not with the stakes this high.

Matt is beside me, a hand of his own absently pressed to his ribcage – I'm guessing he's still smarting from earlier too. Between us, Gabumon and Agumon stand tense and erect. I can see the pink of Gabumon's gums as he bares his fangs, and Agumon's claws shine in the flickering light of the hub beneath the sands. Above us, the eight capsules continue to churn liquid around the captive humans – none of whom have stirred yet. Behind us is our only exit. Before us stands the clone.

Or should I say '_floats the clone'_?

She looks so unnatural hanging there. Her fingers twitch like a spiders legs, curling in short bursts before flexing out again. Wires protrude from across her body, attaching her to the ceiling or stabilizing her to the floor. And her face – still pretty despite everything – is scrunched up in a magnificent grin. I'm not sure how it's possible for a little metallic troll to somehow invade the body of a teenage girl. I'm not sure I want to know.

The four of us stare off towards her – or at least what's left of her – with growing apprehension. We've seen some crazy things in our days, but this has got to be at least in the top fifty alarming things we've seen since our calling. She's hanging from the ceiling, the tips of her boots barely touching the floor. My jacket is pinned across her shoulders with several black wires – I've got a feeling I'm not getting that back.

If she could see herself right now I'm sure Rei would scream. But she can't see herself. And she's not Rei. She's Datamon now.

She… He… It bounces from side to side slowly, wires tightening and relaxing behind the clone with each movement. It's red eyes look over our little group, before focusing their crimson gaze on me. "KAMIYA, TAICHI. DIGIDESTINED. WELCOME BACK TO MY LAIR."

"Bite me. Agumon?"

My partner takes several steps forward, teeth barred and ready. "Finally, I get to bite something!"

A hand rushes to my shoulder before Agumon can charge the possessed girl. "No, wait!" Matt screams.

I frown. "What?"

He looks upwards to where the captive humans hang in suspended animation. "Doing that might kill them!"

"Huh? Why?"

Matt points to the black wires running from Rei's impaled back, towards the computer console then finally to the humans in the pods. "He's linked directly to them," he says with tension in his voice. "If we try to attack he may kill them."

I blink, and then grimace. Of course he'd have hostages. Clever little troll. "Let 'em go shiny," I spit when I turn back to the clone. "Before I have Agumon turn you into a scrap heap."

The clone grins wider, surprising considering her data should start breaking apart at that angle. "I DON'T THINK YOU'RE IN A POSITION TO GIVE THREATS KAMIYA, TAI".

I snarl and take a step forward, but Matt's hand is on my chest and he pushes me back. His ice cold expression is chilling my rage right now. I grit my teeth but comply. Datamon is holding the cards right now. Best to play along.

But as soon as we get a chance I'm finding a way to rip his heart out.

"What do you want Datamon?"

"ME? I HAVE WHAT I WANT ALREADY. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT DIGIDESTINED."

"Some answers," Matt says before I have a chance to reply. "How are you still alive?"

"I AM A DIGIMON". The clone spits. "WE ALWAYS COME BACK."

"But you've been dead for years" Matt continues.

"A MOMENTARY SETBACK." The Clone seems to speak with glee. "I SHOULD THANK YOU DIGIDESTINED. ONCE, MY PURPOSE WAS ONLY REVENGE AGAINST ETEMON. NOW IT IS MUCH, MUCH MORE."

"You still haven't explained how you survived," I interrupt him/her.

The clone tilts her head to the side for a moment and muses. "MY CONCIOUSNESS WAS LEFT EMBEDDED IN THE DARK NETWORK. WHILE ETEMON RAN OFF WITH THE MAJORITY OF ITS POWER, I WAS LEFT HELPLESS AT THE ROOT, UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING IN MY STATE. UNABLE TO MUSTER THE STRENGTH TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE NETWORK. AND SO I LIVED, EXISTING BUT NOT EXISTING BENEATH THE SANDS OF SERVER."

"And then the researchers came, right?" Matt reasons. "What did you signal to them?"

"THEY INVADED THE RUINS ON THEIR OWN," The clone makes a face. "I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THEY FOUND THEM. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY'D BEEN INVESTIGATING STORIES OF YOUR EXPLOITS. APPARENTLY YOU BRATS HAD BECOME SOMETHING OF A LEGEND IN MY ABSENCE."

"Heh… Something like that." I smirk.

"How did you know they were there?" Matt asks.

"Yeah," Agumon grumbles. "It's not like you could smell them or anything."

"OF COURSE I COULDN'T SMELL THEM YOU REPTILIAN TWIT," the voice of Datamon sounds annoyed. "I COULD SENSE THEM IN MY WALLS BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING. I HAD NO VOICE, NO BODY, AND WITH THE DARK NETWORK IN CRITICAL CONDITION I HAD NO WAY TO REACH THEM. ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS MY COPY DEVICE. AS THEY WORKED THEIR WAY AROUND THE ROOM, I UPLOADED THE PROGRAM OF THE ONE YOU CALL 'SORA'. IT WAS THEN THAT THEY LEARNED THAT THEY WERE NOT ALONE."

The Rei-mon creature gestures to the computer screen. It flickers before returning to the images we'd seen before – Datamon's memories on display like some dorky art show Kari would have tried dragging me to. It blinks and pauses on a specific image - a skinny middle aged man with dark hair and glasses and a pretty brunette who looks only a few years older than us. They're staring at something in the distance. A glowing figure in a tight yellow shirt and blue jeans flickers like a bad television screen with a bad connection. I take a breath.

They're staring at the clone.

"They found the girl…" Matt says for me.

"And she led them straight to you," I frown.

"INDEED." The clone nods with unnatural glee. "MY REPLICATOR WAS INTEGRAL TO MY REDISCOVERY AND EVENTUAL RESCUE. UNFORTUNATELY, DURING THIS PERIOD THE CONSTRUCT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A CORRUPTED FLASHING FAILURE, UNABLE TO RESPOND TO THE SLIGHTEST COMMANDS. BUT IT WAS THROUGH IT THAT THEY LEARNED OF MY COGNIZANCE: FOR I SIMPLY DELETED AND RECREATED IT IN PATTERNS YOU HUMANS WOULD RECOGNIZE AS INTELLEGENT."

I swallow spit and turn my eyes from the screen. "Y-you killed her and brought her back to life… to a beat?"

The clone frowns for the first time since Datamon possessed her. "I DELETED HER. YOU FORGET WHERE YOU ARE DIGIDESTINED. NOTHING EVER TRULY DIES HERE."

Matt bites his lip, his icy glare focused on the clone. "So they track down the system that houses you and find you locked away. Then what? You didn't just return overnight."

"CORRECT." The clone nods. "IT TOOK MANY MONTHS FOR MY SYSTEMS TO BECOME OPERATIONAL. BY THEN THE HUMAN FOOLS HAD DUPED THEMSELVES INTO BELIEVEING ME TO BE THE FIRST DIGITAL INTELLEGENCE. I GAVE THEM A BARGIN: IF THEY WOULD CREATE FOR ME A NEW BODY, I WOULD SHARE WITH THEM THE SECRETS OF THE DIGIWORLDS CREATION."

"What, they thought you were Digi-Adam?" I snort.

"MORE THAN THAT."

Matt frowns, steel blue eyes icing over with disgust. "…They thought you were a _god_?"

The clone looks positively giddy. "SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. I MUST CONFESS I WAS RATHER TICKLED BY THE IDEA."

"Of course you don't know any more than the rest of us, do you?" Gabumon huffs.

The clone scoffs. "A MINOR DETAIL THAT WILL SOON BE RECTIFIED."

Agumon blinks beside me. "Wait… You think you'll be able to learn the secrets of the Digiworlds creation?"

"IN DUE TIME."

"Does it have anything to do with the humans you're pickling up there?" I press.

"OH YES. THEM." The ginger-clone tilts a possessed head sharply towards the hanging captives still knocked out. "CAUGHT IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME."

"Then let them go!" Matt demands. "They have nothing to do with us."

"That's right," I spit. "We're the ones you really want. Right?"

"OH I CAN'T LET THEM GO JUST YET," Datamon's voice bounces from within the clones throat. "I HAVE BIG PLANS FOR THEM."

"And Rei?" I ask.

"REI?"

"What were your big plans for her?"

"THIS… REI YOU SPEAK OF: IS IT THIS CONSTRUCT?"

I frown. "Yeah…"

"WHAT IS THE CURRENT HUMAN EXPRESSION? AH YES." The freakish smile on her face grows wider as her red eyes gleefully glare at me. "L… O… L…!"

I flinch. "What?"

"YOU'VE GROWN TO CARE ABOUT THIS CREATURE HAVEN'T YOU? WHAT A TRITE CONDITION YOU HUMANS HAVE FOUND YOURSELVES IN. YOU HAVE EVEN GIVEN IT A NAME!" The troll inside her causes the clone to suppress her laugher. "THIS FAILURE NEVER BECAME MORE THAN MILDLY USEFUL. A SPEAKERBOX FOR MY WORDS TO THE SCIENTISTS AS THEY WORKED ON MY RESURRECTION. HARDLY WORTH THE TIME."

"B-but you said she saved your life," Agumon reasons.

"THROUGH NO WILL OF IT'S OWN. THE CONSTRUCT HAD NO MIND THEN. NO CONCIOUSNESS. IT WAS ONLY A BLINKING DIGITAL IMAGE THAT I USED TO MY ADVANTAGE. I COULD DO LITTLE ELSE WITH IT IN IT'S CORRUPTED STATE."

"So what, you just used her to flag the MAGAMI peeps down?"

"A.o.A." Matt tells me. I'm guessing I'm out of the loop?

"THAT WAS ITS ONLY INTENDED FUNCTION." The clone/Datamon sounds bored.

"So why create her in the first place?"

This question puzzles Datamon, 'cause the clones face scrunches up in thought. Behind her/him/it the computer screen flashes more images – pictures of men and women in various robes pouring over the hub. "AS MY SYSTEMS WERE RESTORED THE HUMANS BEGAN RUNNING INTO PROBLEMS WITH PROGRAMING. ISSUES I COULD FIX MYSELF. HOWEVER, WITH NO PHYSICAL FORM AVAILABLE THE HUMANS KNEW THEY WOULD BE HITTING A DEAD END. THUS, IT BECAME IMPERETIVE TO FIND A WAY FOR ME TO INTERACT WITH THE WORLD AROUND ME. THE SENTINELS – YOUR GIZMON – WERE THE FIRST PROGRAMMED FOR ASSISTANCE. THEY WERE HELPFUL… TO A POINT, BUT IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT THE NUANCES NEEDED COULD NOT BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE DESIGN OF AN INSECT. THE DECISION TO CORRECT THE CONSTRUCTS CORRUPTION WAS MADE. HOWEVER, WITHOUT YOUR SORA, GAPS IN HER CODING HAD TO BE FILLED. THIS WAS TAKEN FROM THE LEAD RESEARCHER…"

"Reiko Saibachi…"

"CORRECT."

I frown and turn to my XO. Matt's eyes are glued the screen behind the mutant girl, his expression is one of concern. My own eyes follow. The image of the pretty brunette with hair coming up just below her shoulder blades and split at the ends floods my mind. Slowly I begin to imagine her with hair with more of a reddish tent, and realize that she could have been Rei's mother.

And then I realize that, technically, she was.

Sora was Rei's base, her physical appearance. But Rei's digital flesh belonged to another human.

Matt frowns. "You stole the base code off a human being?"

The clone raises an eyebrow. "SHE VOLUNTEERED IT."

I shake my head. "Why would she do a thing like that?"

Datamon makes Rei's shoulders shrug. "SHE HAD MOTHERLY FEELINGS FOR IT AND WOULD NOT BE DISUADED. AN UTTER FOOL, LIKE YOU."

Matt clears his throat. "What happened to her? Reiko?"

The clone has a bemused twinkle on his/her face. "LOST TO THE SANDS I SUPPOSE."

Agumon blinks. "You killed her too?"

"I ONCE SENSED HER LIFESIGNS WHEN THE CONSTRUCT MADE HER ESCAPE. I NO LONGER DO."

Gabumon snarls. "You're a monster!"

"WE'RE ALL MONSTERS YOU HALF-BREED MUTT," Datamon causes the clone to snort.

While Matt keeps Gabumon from instigating things further, I speak up. "So the last thing this woman did in this world was give her data to birth Rei?"

"NOT SOLELY HERS," The troll waves him off. "HER BASIC CODED STRUCTURE RESEMBLED THAT OF YOU HUMANS. WITH OUT MY OWN GENIUS THE DATA WOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN TO THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. IT WAS THE COMBINATION OF HER DATA AND MY OWN THAT CREATED THIS CONSTRUCT… YOUR… REI. WITH THE DATA OF DR. SAIBACHI THE CONSTRUCT AGED, BUT I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO INTERACT ONCE AGAIN WITH THE DIGITAL WORLD. I NOW HAD A HAND IN BUILDING MY DESTINY."

"What? Your own body to do with as you pleased?" Agumon asks.

"TSK… WHY WOULD I SPEND THE REST OF MY DAYS AS A WORTHLESS PIECE OF TRASH, WHEN I CAN BECOME SO MUCH MORE…"

Gabumon huffs, edging closer to Matt. "I'll bet the researchers weren't happy to learn you wanted more."

"INDEED NOT. WHEN THEY LEARNED OF THE DARK NETWORK'S TRUE PURPOSE AND REALIZED THEIR OWN INADEQUACIES THEY SENT MEN IN HERE TO SHUT ME DOWN FORCEFULLY. BUT I WOULD NOT LOSE MY LIFE WITHOUT A FIGHT. THIS WAS THE ONLY POINT WHERE THIS CONSTRUCT EVER BECAME USEFUL TO ME. I HAVE NOTICED HOW YOUR MALES APPRECIATED AN UNCLAD FEMALE. THAT WAS ALL THE DISTRACTION I NEEDED."

I blink. "Wait… You're saying –"

"MY MIND IN HER BODY. THE CONSTRUCT COULDN'T EVEN FUNCTION WITHOUT ME, MUCH LESS RAISE ARMS AGAINST MY ENEMIES. I UPLOADED MY CONCIOUSNESS INTO HER AND TOOK OUT MY ENEMIES IN ONE FELL SWOOP."

I let that sink into my gut, and a wave of relief and sadness fills me up. "It wasn't really Rei then," I say to no one in particular. "She wasn't in control of herself."

"OF COURSE NOT." Data-Rei snorts. "IT NEVER HAD CONTROL. HOWEVER, I ADMIT I HAD NOT PREPARED FOR THE… COMPLEXITIES OF THE HUMAN BRAIN."

The screen pauses briefly on a girls face – Rei's I realize. She looks detached on the image. Assured. Around her are bodies dissipating – human from the look of them, floating into the air like sands in an hourglass. There are black wires embedded in her skin, each line pulsing with dark energy. She's… not decent. I feel a trickle slip from my nose in spite of the situation. She thankfully (at least the larger of my heads is thankful) crosses her arms and looks around regarding the situation. Her eyes blink red while the tiniest of smiles crosses her lips.

And then something extraordinary happens. As she turns her back to whatever camera was available for this recording her eyes catch the larger screen. Her face, her upper torso, everything exposed for Datamon's all seeing eyes. And then it starts. Her face scrunches up into a frown while she unloosens her arms (thankfully/tragically her back is towards my view, showing me nothing but the top of her firm… ah, there goes my nose again…) and gently brings her hands to the base of her neck. A single thick wire runs from her spine to the ceiling, the metal coils, and her hands, oddly scar-less, hover over the lengthened chord. The longer her hands are wrapped around the wire, the more her face twists and contorts , as if she's fighting off her horror and losing the battle badly.

"UPLOADING MY OWN MIND TO DO MORE THAT SIMPLY SPEAK SOMEHOW TRIGGERED HER OWN CONSCIENCE," Datamon explains to us through the clone. He/She looks up to the screen. "SHE HAD BECOME SELF-AWARE."

And with that, the Rei on the screen closes her eyes, grabs hold of the wire in her neck, and pulls with all her might. The jutting chord begins to swivel in her grasp, trying to escape. Smaller wires spread from the base and enter her wrists, trying to pull her hands away. She struggles, taking a hand away from the base and pulling at the small strings in her wrists with all her might. The force yanks up both the wires and quite a bit of data from her skin. Her mouth opens – she's screaming I think. We can hear nothing. We can only watch with morbid fascination as she brings her wounded hands back to the chord in her neck and pulls once more with all her might.

The Black wire slides out in a spray of her data.

The screen shows the wires slipping out of her one by one, rejected by the consciousness of a new creation. Her naked form slips to the ground for a moment. She's in great pain, her bare shoulders shuddering with every second. And then she rises and turns to the screen again. Around her the bodies of her guards continue to float into the air. Her ginger hair flows in the wind as she looks from one evaporating human to the next. She stares back at the camera,shakes her head and turns, covering herself and keeping low to hide her exposed body. She starts running, her pretty brown eyes are flashing with terror as she turns away from the stationary viewer, which can do nothing as she disappears down the corridor.

"THE POOR THING WAS SO DISTRAUGHT SHE FORCEFULLY SNAPPED HER CONNECTION TO THE DARK NETWORK AND ESCAPED, LEAVING ME IN HERE WITH THE UTTERLY UNINTELLEGENT DEFENSE SENTINELS. BY THEN OF COURSE MY OWN DIRECTIVE – TO DISCOVER AND APPREHEND YOUR POWER – HAD ALREADY SETTLED INTO HER MIND. BUT I HAD NO IDEA IF SHE WOULD OVERCOME THAT PROGRAMING AS WELL. SHE'S STUBBORN, THIS CONSTRUCT."

The screen flickers and dies, leaving just us and the possessed clone to face off against on e another.

"JUST WHEN I THINK IT HAS FAILED IN EVERY WAY IT FINDS NEW ONES TO DISAPPOINT ME." Datamon muses. And then he shifts the girl back towards us and forces her to grin. "BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR RETURNING MY USELESS CHILD TO ME."

"You won't get away with this." Matt spits.

At this, Datamon shifts a cocky eyebrow. "AWAY WITH WHAT? LIVING? FOOLISH DIGIDESTINED, WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DENY ME THE LIFE I'VE WORKED FOR? YOU THINK THAT YOUR CHEAP VICTORIES OVER FOOLS SUCH AS ETEMON ARE IMPRESSIVE TO ONE SUCH AS MYSELF? HAVE YOU NO IDEA WHO I AM? I AM DATAMON, THE MOST INTELLEGENT DIGIMON IN ALL THE WORLDS! I HAVE PLANNED THIS VICTORY FOR YEARS DIGIDESTINED. I AM THREE MOVES AHEAD OF YOU, FULLY PREPARED FOR ANYTHING YOUR PUNY PARTNERS CAN THROW AT ME. THIS ENTIRE PYRAMID IS UNDER MY CONTROL. THE SENTINELS YOU DESTROYED WILL BE REPLACED SHORTLY. EVEN THE SANDS BEND TO MY WILL NOW. SOON THIS WORLD WILL BE WRAPPED IN THE DARK NETWORK, AND ALL WILL BECOME PART OF A GREATER FORCE. NO LONGER WILL I BE CONFINED TO THE LIMITS OF MY PROGRAMING. I WILL ACHIEVE MY DESTINY AND DIGIVOLVE INTO SOMETHING MORE. NO LONGER A SINGLE MIND. NO. I WILL BECOME _GAIAMON_, AND THE UNIVERSE WILL BEND TO MY WILL!"

Datamon starts laughing through her then, both her twitching hands placed firmly on her hips just above the justting wires in her thighs. Despite the severity of his actions, despite the lives lost and the moral horizons leapt over, that laugh is the same as every confident villain we've ever faced. Which means only one thing.

He's underestimating us. Again.

I smirk. "I was wondering when it would happen: the useless villain monologue. Seven years and you bad guys haven't changed a bit. Well you should know this. We haven't changed either."

"SILLY BOY," The clone mocks. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE ANYWHERE NEAR MY LEAGUE?"

"Maybe you don't remember," I wipe my nose on the back of my bare wrist. "We're not just some kids on an adventure anymore. We're the Digidestined. The two-worlds finest. And we are not afraid of you!"

"WHAT INSOLENCE," the clone croaks out. "HAVE YOU NO IDEA WHAT I AM BECOMING?"

"I know that we've faced you before," I remind the demon inside her. "And we're even stronger now. Beating your sorry butt won't just be our duty. It'll be my pleasure!

"SUCH BRAVADO-"

"Not bravado, Courage!" I correct him/her. "And I earned that crest chasing after you! So come on Datamon. Fight us like the Ultimate you're supposed to be. Or… are you going to hide behind that girl forever?

That must have struck a nerve, 'cause Rei's face scrunches into an exaggerated frown, and her eyes boil red with hate. "HMPH," the clone grunts. "…I'M NOT HIDING."

"You certainly look like you're hiding to me," I press harder. "You're too chicken to jump into one of those Gizmon so you have to take over a girl, eh?"

"THE SENTINELS WOULD NOT HAVE SERVED MY PURPOSE…"

"You mean the Gizmon made you even uglier?"

"Uh, Tai?" Matt raises his voice above a forced whisper. "Maybe we shouldn't taunt the super villain, huh?"

I ignore him. Obviously. "What is it Datamon? All those years in the dark turned you into even more of a wimp?"

"THAT WILL BE ENOUGH FROM YOU."

"I don't think so tin head!"

"Yeah tin head," Agumon shouts behind me. Matt and Gabumon cover his mouth.

"YOU WILL SILENCE YOURSELF AT ONCE!"

"Make me!"

"T-Tai?" Gabumon joins his partners concern. "Maybe Matt is right on this –"

I ignore him too. "You've had seven years to plot the best comeback plan in years. And the best you can come up with is 'I'm gonna pretend to be a gil and run around the desert half naked while claiming to be a god? Seriously?"

"ENOUGH!"

"Man, no wonder Etemon whooped your –"

The movement happens so quickly that I don't even have time to flinch. A wire, black as sin, shoots up from the floor, it's edge sharpened into a spear. It spends a second hovering in front of the clone before it flies towards me. A part of my brain registers that Agumon has screamed my name but I can't hear it over the blood pumping in my ear. It should have hit me. It should have killed me.

It doesn't.

Instead the wire hovers only inches away from my eye, hanging in mid air while I do my best not to blink. All the air has been driven from my chest in shock, and my heart is beating a mile a minute.

_"…Ta-i-chi…"_

…

I frown. That's not Datamon's voice. It's hers. The girl who started this journey with us. The girl who was willing to do whatever it takes to save the world. The girl who looks like Sora. The girl I called…

"Rei?"

She hovers in the air, unmoving. I take a deep breath. She's in there somewhere. Inside, buried deep beneath the little troll. I don't know if she can still sense me, but I know she's still in there. She has to be. I hear my friends calling out to me, warning me. I hear them but I'm on autopilot. It's too late to stop now. I reach a hand out towards her.

"Rei!"

Her head tilts as she looks down at me. And then her eyes glow red. "…DIE."

Something rams into my stomach and thrusts me to the ground at the exact moment that the black wire decided to finally whisk by my face. From my new position buried beneath a pasty blond I see a black chord shoot across where my head would have been, it's image a blur. It would have skewered me had Matt not been so fast. I'll have to thank him later.

I smell sulfur, and I know my partner has launched a ball of fire at the attacking appendage. Our partners push the hybrid clone back, metal wires pulling her away from the rookies. I groan a little, the dull ache in my arm returning to the roar of pain it had been before adrenaline and Matt's handiwork stabilized the wound. I take a deep breath.

I could have died just then. Datamon could have killed me.

I look up to my hero. He looks like he wants me dead too. "Nn… Thanks Matt."

He's not having any of it. "Are you nuts! You could have been killed! Of all the insane things you've done in your life… and you've done a lot Tai, let me just say -"

Before he can go full nagging housewife on me I catch hold of his ruined designer shirt with my good hand. "You heard that, didn't you?"

He pauses, his anger dissipating, and just looks at me. There's a little judgment there, and a healthy dose of disagreement. But there's just as much concern in those steel blue eyes of his. And not just for me. "…Yeah. I heard."

He helps me back to my feet. Everything seems to slow down for a few seconds. Agumon and Gabumon have retaken defensive positions. Matt keeps a shoulder tucked under my arm for support. And Datamon begins plucking sharpened wires from the ground and aiming at us, grimacing through Rei's body.

Her name is Rei. That's the name I gave her, and whether she still wants it or not, that's who she is. I've known her for a little more than twelve hours. I like her. A lot. I want to help her. Right now she's buried under bolts and wires and malicious programming from a monster that should have stayed dead. But she's still alive. She's still in there. _Rei_ is still in there.

I just have to get her out.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**15**

**Digimon**


	16. Chapter 16

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 16

**A/N: Overslept yestarday. Here you are. If something reads wrong/weird let me know.**

* * *

We just have to get out of here.

If we can save the girl from the crazy digicore inside her then there's an added bonus, obviously. But right now I'm just concentrating on uploading this virus buster program, reclaiming my digivice, and getting the four of us as far away from this place as possible. Preferably in one piece.

But if I know Tai, we're not leaving until we've done all we can for it… her.

So we stand together, his arm loosely draped across my shoulders, our eyes both focused on the enemy before us. Datamon hangs there, his mind still possessing the body of my girlfriends clone. Her face is scrunched up in a painful grimace, red eyes seething with hatred for us both. Gabumon and Agumon stand their ground in front of us, their own faces filled with the determination to protect us at all costs. They're going to have their work cut out for them in a few seconds. There are at least four sharpened spears made of dark network cables pointing in our direction. One for each of us. I guess Datamon is done fooling around.

I turn to Tai, feeling his weight on my shoulders. "We've gotta get my digivice out of that console before he finishes… whatever he's trying to do."

He nods. "Any ideas?"

I suck my teeth. "Just the beat the bad guy part –"

He pulls his arm from around my shoulder and glares at me. "Girl."

I roll my eyes. "Right."

He frowns and looks to me. "You okay?"

I bite my lower lip. "Nn… Ribs still hurt. You?"

"Mn…" He makes a face, his free hand absently running up and down his injured limb. "My arm aches… Don't think I caught a virus though."

I nod, again thankful. "Good."

He gives a sigh, turning back to the menacing figure of the clone preparing to strike like a snake, chocolate brown eyes seeing something beneath the hatred. "She's still in there Matt," he tells me with a muted breath. "She's still alive."

I look at him, knowing what she is. Knowing why he's gotten this attached to her. Knowing that you can't help the way you feel about someone. No matter how wrong those feelings may be – or who they're really for. I look at him and I nod. "I know."

"I gotta get her out."

"I know."

He gives me a halfhearted smile and turns back to the menacing sight of a multi-limbed girl with red eyes. I do the same. He's right. She's still alive, if you can call it that. Somewhere deep inside her is the girl we started our journey with. The girl with Sora's memories. The girl we call Rei. She's been lied to, abused, mentally raped and robbed of her own control.

But she's still alive.

I spit, blue eyes keeping hold of the squirming threat before us. "What do you want us to do Tai?"

He then gives me a look. It's a look I've gotten to know very well. A look that has led to many a painful memory, shrugs and half-hearted apologies. "Trust me," he says.

I frown. "I trust you with my life fearless leader. Just don't do anything psychotic."

Tai glares at me, but I wink to let him know I'm joking… mostly. He nods and steps forward tentatively, a hand across his bandage once again. Agumon snarls and takes a step with him, but I hold out a hand and he quiets down. We have to believe that Tai has this under control. We have to believe in him.

"Alright Data-wuss," he says through clenched teeth and a forced smile. "Let's talk."

Okay, not how I would have started…

The clone seethes at this offer, ginger hair falling in front of her/his eyes. "THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO SAY," Datamon whispers. "NOW… DIE."

A tendril shoots out from the floor beside the clones' hip, racing towards him at high speeds. In the blink of an eye Agumon has stepped away from me, his keen eyes tracking the chord at a rate I can't even imagine. His mouth is open and flames lick at his jaws before I can even blink.

"**_Pepper Breath_**!" The miniature tyrannosaur calls as his primary attack shoots just inches away from Tai's face. The big haired lug doesn't even flinch. The ball of flame that Agumon fired catches the wire before it can reach its target. The black chord sizzles into data before it can touch Agumon's partner, the individual bits of data dissipating into nothingness before Datamon's possessions eyes. The clone flinches like a child whose hand was scalded on the hot stove. Emboldened, Agumon opens his maw again.

"That's enough."

The look from Tai is enough to make Agumon choke on his own smoke. "Nn… Tai?"

Our leader ignores us. He turns back to the clone and continues right where he left off. "Come on Datamon, I'm not going to go through with this fight until we talk for real."

"THEN STAND STILL. I'LL DO ALL THE TALKING WHILE YOU DISINTEGRATE!"

A second wire shoots from the ceiling, flying past the clones head. Agumon is again on the ready. "**_Pepper_-**"

Before he can finish however, a second wire shoots out from the palm of the girls' hand. Agumon has no sooner let the word 'breath' escape his gums than the wire comes for Tai with reckless abandon. The first is utterly disintegrated. The second comes really close.

**_"Blue Blaster!"_**

Tai ducks as my partner lets loose a stream of chemical flame, the result engulfing the line closest to Tai in blue flame. As the wire dissipates the flame travels up the line back towards Datamon, who snarls through the clone and cuts off the wire from the hand connecting it. The black chord falls to the floor like a dismembered appendage, bursting into digital nothingness on impact.

I smile. Gabumon's not such a bad marksman himself.

But despite all of that, Tai barely turns his head other than to give a rather weak: "Thanks."

I step up. We tried our best. "Tai, stand back and let us –"

"Not until we've talked," he tells us quietly. I want to say more but a look from Tai shuts me up. He then turns back to the clone with a frown on her face. "C'mon Datamon. We can do this all day. You shoot two, three wires and my friends protect me. Or we could hash this thing out: mono-y-Digimon-o. Right here, right now."

The clone seethes again, teeth hissing with a computers rage. "THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN OFFER ME THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO MY PLANS."

"Ah, but there's the problem. You're expecting your plan to go off flawlessly. But you didn't plan on the Digidestined."

The clone sneers. "OF COURSE I PLANNED FOR YOU, YOU BIG-HAIRED BUFFOON. HOW ELSE COULD I HAVE GAINED ACCESS TO YOUR DIGIVICE?"

Tai makes a face and waves a hand towards the possessed teen. "I don't mean the four of us. Not _just_ us anyway. Things have changed Datamon. You may well kill us today –"

I blink. "Uh… Tai? Positive thinking please?"

He ignores me. Obviously. "- But now our friends know you're here."

"YOU THINK I FEAR A HAND FULL OF HUMANS STILL IN THEIR ROOKIE STAGES?"

"A handful?" Tai laughs then, a calculated taunt I've seen him make before. It does its job of providing a distraction and causing the opponent to slip up, but it's a reckless maneuver, and a dangerous one when dealing with an unstable force like Datamon's current mental state. My hand absently reaches for my digivice, and I curse myself further as it grasps empty air. But Datamon doesn't fire another vine, and Tai continues his verbal gymnastics. "I guess the dark network doesn't keep track of the real world that much huh? We are millions strong now, Datamon. And if you're having so much trouble with the four of us, what makes you think you can outlast a full on assault for that long?"

The clone prepares to speak, then freezes in place. The red in her eyes flickers as Datamon processes what was said. And then the wires aimed at us begin to slowly lower back into their compartments. The Data-Rei-monster continues to glare hatefully at the four of us, but with each passing second the pure rage from before is replaced by a cold disgust.

Tai lets a hand trace the edge of his bandage as he smiles. "That's what I thought. Now I can go ahead and give the word and my people won't touch you. You can slink off into the sunset alive and well. Maybe even build your own empire elsewhere. There's no need for hostilities. Right?"

The clone is silent for a moment, thinking. "…AND WHAT PRAY TELL DO YOU HAVE IN MIND?"

Tai takes a deep breath. "The way I see it we should get some things out of the way. First off, let's get terms right. Rei is a person. An intelligent being. She deserves… deserved to be treated like that. No more of this 'it' or 'construct'… no none of it."

"…"

"Datamon?"

"AGREED…"

"Second off, and I'm sure it hasn't taken you any time to figure this out: I despise you. I'm sure you hate me too. No need to get so worked up if you were apathetic to me. Am I right?"

The clone frowns but nods. "CORRECT."

Tai licks his lips. "What if I offered myself to you? My life in exchange for theirs. Would you take it?"

My eyes go wide. "Tai! You're not seriously –"

"We're negotiating," he says sternly. And then he turns and looks at me. There's a twinkle of something dangerously playful in his eyes. "Anything is on the table. Myself included."

I glare at him. He's toying with him. He has no intention of negotiating with Datamon. The whole thing stinks – it reeks of Tai being a reckless, brash… egotistical…

Tai being Tai.

I sigh and back away. It's his call, though I hate it. But if he gets us in trouble I swear I'm punching him in the eye.

He rolls his shoulders and turns back to our enemy. "So Datamon. Would you?"

"…PERHAPS."

The t-rex at our feet shifts uncomfortably, emerald eyes wide with fear. "Tai…"

"Not now Agumon," Tai tells him. "We're making a deal."

He takes another step away from us, arms extended. The clone seems to lower his/her guard for a moment. "What do you want from me? Would it be like absorbing my data? Or…"

At this, Rei is made to lean back against her wiring, the expression forced onto her face one of pleasure. "I DESIRE MORE THAN JUST YOUR DATA DIGIDESTINED. WANT THE THING INSIDE YOU. THE THING YOU USED TO KILL ETEMON. THE UNTANGIBLE IT THAT FELLED AN ENTIER EMPIRE. I WANT YOUR SOUL TAI KAMIYA."

Tai blinks, obviously as annoyed as I am at the melodramatics. "What would happen to me?"

The disgusting smile returns. "YOU'D BECOME SOMETHING GREATER. YOU'D BECOME PART OF ME. YOUR MIND WOULD BECOME A PART OF MINE."

"Instantly?"

"NOT… INSTANTLY." The clone makes an odd face as if it's admitted more than it planned to. "IT TAKES TIME FOR ME TO… DIGEST."

Tai blinks. "Wait… You want to eat me?"

The clone smiles. "IN A MANNER OF WORDS…"

"My mind… and my soul too?"

"IF YOU BELIEVE IN SUCH A THING."

Tai frowns. "Like Rei's soul huh? Trapped inside you?"

I shiver despite the warmth in the room. The way Tai says it is haunting, as if it's the only thing Tai has thought about in the whole world. Datamon must have been as taken aback as we were, for the clones head shifts backwards and her face contorts into an over the top expression of confusion."…WHAT?"

His face has a curious expression on it. "Then I'd be where she'd be..."

I clear my throat. "Tai..."

He blinks and turns my way. He was getting off track. He recognizes that. He takes a breath and keeps going. "Sorry. I'm just a little peeved… you're wearing my friend for a face right now. It's kind of infuriating. Now back to what you'll do with me."

"ARE YOU SAYING YOU'D GIVE YOURSELF TO ME?"

"It would come with the guarantee that you let these others go."

"…I MIGHT BE WILLING TO DO THAT-"

"Including the girl you wronged."

Datamon makes a face on the girl. "JUST WHAT IS IT THAT I HAVE DONE TO HER THAT WAS SO HEINOUS DIGIDESTINED?"

"Oh, aside from jabbing her with a million different wires?" My leader furrows his brows. His voice is cold. "You lied to her."

"SHE WAS MINE TO LIE TO."

"You knew she had become self-aware long before she broke free of you. You knew she would have rejected your plan outright. You knew that without her your plan would never get off the ground. So you lied to her. She was desperate for help. Yet you continued to lie to her."

"IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF 'TALKS' DIGIDESTINED? MORE JUDGEMENTAL ACCUSATIONS? SHE IS MY CREATION. MINE TO DO WITH AS I PLEASE."

I shift uncomfortably and take a step towards him. Tai has gotten off track. I'm not sure if it's his feelings or his anger but if he keeps going like this we'll get nowhere. "Tai…"

He pays me no mind. "She was your daughter…"

"DIGIMON DO NOT HAVE OFFSPRING." Datamon causes Rei's head to tilt in curiosity. "HER CODE CAME BOUND WITH CERTAIN ELEMENETS FROM YOUR SORA. THESE ELEMENTS WERE DISTORTED DURING HER CORRUPTION. MY DATA AND YOUR REIKO SAIBACHI'S DATA WAS USED TO FILL IN THE GAPS. THAT IS ALL. BESIDES. WHAT DOES IT MATTER?"

Tai is quiet for a moment, chocolate brown eyes simmering in anger. I say nothing. I only watch as my leader regains his composure and finally gets back on track. "You're right. It shouldn't matter much to me either way. It shouldn't but it does." Tai licks his lips and rolls his shoulders. His eyes never leave hers, and he looks as if he's still searching for her in those eyes that belong to Sora. "Now, here's what's going to happen. I give myself to you. _You_ are going to release everyone – including Rei, and give up this control the Digiworld plan of yours. You're going to possess one of your little Gizmon mechs and you're going to skitter off into the sunset. I don't care where you go. Folder. Modem. Heck, I hear Witchenly is dying to be taken over. Build yourself a nice little evil empire or something. So long as you never cross paths with Digidestined ever again. Everyone wins that way right? We don't lose anymore human lives, and you don't get your butt kicked. Sounds like a plan tin-head?"

"THAT IS YOUR PLAN?" Datamon sounds insulted.

"Take it or leave it Datamon," I chime in. Tai gives me a look but I shrug. It's not going to make a difference either way.

"THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS," Datamon screams within Rei. "YOUR OFFER IS AN INSULT."

"Maybe," Tai smirks. "But it's the only one you're getting."

"THIS INSOLENCE WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED!"

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Tai shakes his head. "Maybe it would have… when I was twelve. But I've faced Demon Lords, Dark Dragons, and my mom's cooking. There's nothing you have that would worry me either. Especially not now. You have to borrow other people's bodies to do anything, right? And even then you fail."

"I AM NOT A FAILURE PUNY HUMAN!"

"Face it Datamon. You're nothing anymore. You're don't even have _wireframe_, do you?" When Datamon hisses for his answer, I know we've got him on the ropes. "It's over," Tai says with determination. "Now. Give us back Rei."

The clone glares at him. "REI…" Datamon spits through her. "SHE DOESN'T EXIST KAMIYA. SHE IS A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION – PIECES OF VARIOUS MINDS ATTEMPTING TO RECTIFY ONE ANOTHER AND FAILING AT EVERY TURN. SHE IS A FAILED CREATION OF MINE. FLAWED. THERE IS NO NEED TO WASTE YOUR LIVES ON THIS PROGRAM. THE CONSTRUCT IS WORTHLESS."

"You may have been her creator, but you're wrong about her. Rei is not worthless." Tai face lowers to the floor. I can see his eyes close, and I can only imagine he's remembering how she used to be just a few short hours ago. "She's been kind to us. She's helped us on this journey. And though you've managed to taint her spirit, I'm still willing to fight for her. We're not giving up. We stopped you before, we can do it again!"

"That's right!"

I blink. That voice belonged to my partner. "Gabumon?"

My dog-lizard hybrid marches beside Tai, paws clenched into fists as he stands his ground with our leader. Gabumon doesn't usually like making speeches, and almost never without asking me. This is a rare happening. "I'm not going to let you trample on the life of my new friend," he tells the clone with no hint of his usual shy demeanor. "She has suffered enough. It's time you let her out!"

I shake my head. "Gabumon…"

He looks back at me with those mostly-puppy dog eyes. "Sorry Matt," he tells me before turning again towards the clone. "But I can't simply stand by."

I blink again. And then I sigh. "Nn… I guess it can't be helped. She worries me to no end, but she's a sweetheart." I set my hands firmly on my hips, taking a step forward to join my friends ahead. "Don't think I'm not willing to fight for her either!"

Tai looks at us with a warm smile. "You guys…"

"…"

"Agumon?"

The little dinosaur tilts his head in thought, before the sides of his thin mouth lift upwards into a smile of his own. "Hehe… I finally figured out why she smelled so weird. She's spent most of her life being used by a stinker like you." And with that the most vocal opposition to Rei stands again with us, his claws flashing in the dim light. "I'm not her biggest fan. But if Tai wants to protect her, _I _want to protect her. And that's that!"

The clone shakes his/her head. "PROTECT? WHAT ARE YOU PROTECTING? A BALL OF DATA THAT PULLED AWAY FROM ITS MASTER? A BRAINLESS CONSTRUCT? SHE ISN'T EVEN HUMAN OR DIGIMON!"

"She doesn't have to be!" Tai declares.

"She's alive," barks Gabumon.

"And our friend!" Snarls Agumon.

I wipe the sweat from my brow. "And _we_ are getting her out!"

The clone looks at us like we're the ones who look unnatural, her lip curled in disgust. Datamon shakes her/his head. "HUMANS AND THEIR LOYALTIES. SOON, IT WILL BE A THING OF THE PAST."

"Last chance Datamon," Tai warns his nemesis. "Give up the girl, or face the consequences."

"THOSE HOLLOW THREATS… WILL BE THE LAST WORDS YOU SPEAK!"

"So that's it huh? Back to being enemies because you wanna keep playing false-god?"

"NO KAMIYA," The clone smiles again. "NOT FALSE."

The tension is rising. I frown. "Tai?"

He whispers back to me. "Get ready."

I nod. I'm not going to be much good without my digivice. But what I can do, I plan to. We're coming into the final stretch here. Tai's made his offer, and it's been rejected outright. Nothing left to do now but send this metal demon back to primary with a foot up his disembodied metal bum.

Just as soon as we figure out how.

Agumon and Gabumon return to their defensive posture, waiting for the inevitable strikes to appear. Tai's already starting. Doing what he does best.

Annoying the hell out of someone.

"Wow. Talk about presumptuous. I mean you're grumpy enough to be god but seriously. Where's your beard and thunder finger?"

"WHAT?"

"And what poor decision making skills. And this from a living computer? Dang… C'mon Datamon, are you serious?"

"WHAT IS THIS KAMIYA?"

Tai smirks, hands on his hips. Defiant. "What it's always been Data-chump. Us being the good-guys, and you being an idiot."

"IDIOT?"

Tai continues laughing. "Seriously. You wouldn't know a good deal if we had Etemon on a silver platter and told you: 'Hey Datamon, here's Etemon free of charge!"

"YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO MOCK ME!"

Tai pouts. "What are you talking about? I'm always in position to mock somebody. It's my thing."

"I GROW TIRED OF YOUR 'THING'. I GROW TIRED OF THESE HUMAN BLUFFS. I GROW TIRED OF YOU. I DON'T CARE HOW MANY BRATS YOU HAVE ALLIED YOURSELVES WITH. SOON NONE OF IT WILL MATTER. THE FINAL PROCESSES OF MY TRANSFORMATION ARE NEARING COMPLETION."

Tai makes a face. "Then what do you want us to do?"

The clone's eyes narrow. "…DIE."

Tai shakes his head, that smirk still plastered to his smug face. "Now Datamon. We both know we're not going to do that. Is that all?"

The wires at Datamon's feet begin moving once more. His/Her eyes narrow into slits, fingers twitching in anticipation.

Tai sighs. "Then I guess we have nothing more to say to each other do we?"

The wires rise around his/her waist and that sick, disturbing smile grows wider. It's clear the choice is made.

"Matt?" Tai whispers to me.

I gulp. "Yeah?"

"Here he comes…"

I barely have time to breathe.

A single wire barrels towards us at incredible speeds. Agumon's fireball is on it in seconds, just as the next wire comes forward towards us. Gabumon takes care of that one. Then the clone roars, and I know things just went from '_pretty bad'_ to '_holy crap_'. Because four wires pop out of the woodworks and aim themselves directly at us.

"Tai!"

"Mn!"

I grab hold of Tai by the edge of his shirt and spin us to the side, barely avoiding the first strike. Tai returns the favor when the second breezes past my ear. We duck together to give Agumon a better angle at the wire just above the clone – no go however, as Datamon sends extraneous line to take the brunt of Agumon's _Pepper Breath_. I wince and lean Tai downwards as Datamon tries to spear us through the neck. I barely have time to register the movement before he's pulling me into another spin towards the floor. I feel the wind above my hair and know we've avoided another strike – especially when Gabumon's chemical fire pours after it as he launches his _Blue Blaster_ attack. We roll once across the marble before I shoot a leg out and pull us back up – just in time to avoid the wire that shoots through the floor.

It's like we're dancing. Except we could die if we stop, I'm not dancing with the girl I love, and he's not dancing with somebody he's trying to bone...

…

Don't say it. I'm not _yaoi_. Not gonna happen.

Its in-between the rolling, grunting, _totally manly_ dodging of the deadly wires that my eye catches hold to something that Tai is doing. The action worries me to no end. Despite the threat of our immanent deaths, looks like he's having the time of his life.

I frown, not in the mood. "What is it?"

The psychopath is smiling. "He's wheezing."

I look at him as if he's lost his mind, but just after the next dip to avoid a _Pepper Breath_ that rolls above us I look to the clone.

He/She's wheezing.

Holy crap, Datamon is _wheezing_!

I blink unsure of what to do with this new information, but knowing full well it's important. "Tai?"

"I'm thinking," he tells me. "Agumon, Gabumon… Stall!"

Our Digimon hear the order and nod. After fending off two more wires headed our way, Agumon leaps in front of my partner, his orange face turning beat red before his flame engulfs the floor. **_"Pepper Volcano!"_**

A wave of fire crests towards Datamon's current form, and the clone is forced to rise above it. He sneers and prepares another wire, but Gabumon has replaced Agumon in positioning, his chubby stomach expanding with digital air. **_"Blue Cyclone!"_**

A gust of chemical fire bursts from deep within Gabumon like a digital tornado. By itself Gabumon's Blue Cyclone isn't much better than his Blue Blaster. But combined with Agumon's flame and the entire floor before us becomes engulfed in flame. Datamon shrieks as the base of his wire catches fire.

We don't hear the shrieks of pain long though, as several nozzles poke out the side of the walls and ceilings to send streams of white cloud down onto the floor, calming the blaze. Fire retardant. The researchers were well prepared. Still, it's bought us some time. The four of us regroup at the far wall, trying to come up with a plan before Datamon turns back to us.

"You two okay?" I ask our partners.

"Fine," says Gabumon.

"Hungry," says Agumon.

"Oh… Me too," Gabumon grumbles before glaring at Tai. "That Reese's cup better come with a full saucer of milk."

"Not just milk," Tai assures him. "It'll come with a side of Oreo's too. How's that?"

"Mmmm…."

I sigh. "Gabumon, get your tongue off the floor. This place hasn't been swept in years."

Gabumon looks sheepishly at me, wiping his tongue off with his fur while Agumon laughs at him. I simply shake my head at the partner who's got to be on his way to digital diabetes and turn back to the Digidestined of Courage. "Well, any ideas Tai?"

My brunette friend places a hand to his chin. "If he's wheezing then that means he's having trouble with his form. He's pushing Rei to the limits trying to keep track of the four of us. That means…

"He can't focus on everything at a time," I realize. "He's been a disembodied spirit so long he's forgotten that physical forms spend energy."

"So do digital ones," Agumon pouts before Tai pops him on the snout.

"You know what I mean," I sigh again. "It means that he's at a disadvantage. It means that, sooner or later he's gonna run out of steam. It means-"

"It means while he keeps his eye on one of us, the others can be dealing the final blow," Tai interrupts.

I blink. His face has a far away look to it. "What do you mean?"

"I... I mean we split up," he says with a nod. "One of us provides the distraction while the others upload the program and get those people out of there."

I've heard this plan before. "One goes in, one stays out…"

Tai hears my hesitation. "It worked last time."

"Barely."

He shrugs. "What choice do we have?"

Agumon's voice shifts us from our conversation. "Guys?"

We both look up. With the flames dying down, the flame retardant begins seeping out of the room, pulling away the clouds of coolant that were giving us cover. Through the smoke stands… or rather floats the clone, red eyes glowing through the fog, teeth once again barred in an unholy smile. He hasn't spotted us yet… But it's only a matter of time.

I turn back to Tai. "Your call fearless leader."

He nods. "We split. Gabumon, the pods. Matt your Digivice. Agumon give us some cover-"

Agumon blinks. "You?"

He stretches his wounded arm and gives us a cocky grin. "Dancin' with the devil!"

I glare at him. He's in no condition to face off against Datamon by himself. I go to say just that but my DNA partner beats me to the punch.

"Matt?"

"…Yeah."

His eyes shift to the ground. "Whatever happens… I need you to keep going. Don't look back. Got it?"

My frown grows deeper. "What are you planning to –"

"Just promise me you won't look back bro."

"But Tai –"

"Promise me!"

That's an order. And what kind of an XO would I be if I didn't follow orders?

"Fine…" I tell him through clenched teeth.

If he notices my disapproval he doesn't show it. He doesn't have a chance to say much else anyway. The wind kicks up around us, blowing the cool froth everywhere. I shield my eyes with my palm until the winds die, and then look up. The clone is using two wires connected to her hands as fans to propel the air about the room. We have only a second to regard her/him before Datamon turns a head and sets crimson eyes upon us. The smile he/she gives is unearthly.

"DIGIDESTINED…"

Tai doesn't hesitate. "Go!"

**_"Pepper Breath!"_**

The ball of flame races towards the possessed clone just as Gabumon and I take off. The distraction is definitely working though, as I manage to slip just under the girl without so much as a scratch. Gabumon has to hop over a wire, but even he manages to get passed the Digimon/human hybrid mind without injury. Agumon launches another Pepper Breath before rolling out of the way of a flailing wire, and moves to launch from another angle. So far so good.

Datamon snarls through Rei and swivels her about the wires. I take my eyes off him and focus only on the console, trying to keep my heart from exploding through my chest. Behind me, I can hear the sound of wire whipping into position, and I know that Datamon has prepared to stab me in the back with one of his deadly wires. But before that happens I hear the sound of a struggle and suddenly another voice. One I'm far more welcoming too, despite his lunacy.

"Uh-uh," I hear Tai say. "You're dancing with me now!"

I hear Datamon's sneer as I run forward, sending electricity across every pipeline as he focuses on Tai. I hear Tai's grunts and coughs as he dodges the wires as best he can. I hear Agumon shooting again and again, trying to give his partner cover. I don't look back. _I can't look back_.

If I look back I'd see what's happening to him and I might forget all about my Digivice and uploading the program and saving these people I've never met. If I look back to see what Datamon's doing I might forget that I'm a Digidestined and come back charging to save him. And then Datamon would have us both.

So I don't look back.

Not that I could. I'm too busy ducking and jumping over various chords that pop up from one side or another. They're not purposely trying to attack me; at least I don't think so. But they're the byproduct of Datamon trying to catch my partner. Gabumon scurries as hard as his little legs can carry him, rolling through wire attacks as they burst through the floor after him. From the corner of my eye I can see he's making good time.

Of course paying attention to the corner of my eye instead of where I'm going is going to get me in trouble. A simple loop in the floor catches my feet. I catch myself before I fall – I kind of expected I'd have to deal with one of these things eventually. The shock though, is something I don't expect.

It's not just that it's annoying like static shock. Nor is it like getting a jolt from a wet amp - I've felt that, and it wasn't pretty. This felt cold. Like someone had taken a tiny metal chain, stuck it in the freezer for a month, and then started whipping my bare foot with it. Over and over again. I'm wearing some pretty thick doc martens. I shouldn't feel anything.

I keep going. I'm only a few feet away from the consol and I can't dwell on the feeling too long. But in the back of my head, if only for a second, I'd hate to think what it would feel like it I had actually been struck.

It takes me a second to completely right myself, and only a few more to reach the abandoned console in one piece. I set two hands on the edge: it's the happiest my hands have ever been to touch something cold, metal and unfeeling . Beneath a layer of metal filled with buttons and knobs is my digivice, the gift that's sparred my life more times than I can remember. Time to bust it out.

"Tai! I'm there, we've got – "

I look back.

_Why did I look back?_

I'm not sure how he did it, but Tai has climbed his way onto her. Literally. His hands have caught hold of his/her wrists while his feet are planted on his/her knees. Datamon shakes and sways, trying to toss him like a rodeo bull, but Tai has caught her firmly, and he isn't letting go. Their faces are inches apart, Data-Rei's furious and Tai's confident. They both look crazy. Only Rei has an excuse.

"Tai! What the hell man!"

"_Whoo-hoo_! Ride 'em Tai!" Agumon cheers from across the room.

I frown, turning my back to the console. "Tai Kamiya, you get down from there right now!"

If he hears me then he's doing a real good job ignoring me... (there's a fist to the eye in his future, I can see it). He keeps his focus instead on the clone. "C'mon Data-wuss," I hear him hiss. "Can't you do better than that?"

The clone glares and opens her mouth. A wire slowly extends from her throat.

It nearly catches him in the face when Datamon first fires it. He leans back to avoid it, and the two of them nearly crash to the floor from his weight. Datamon retrieves the wire via swallow, and then opens her mouth again. Tai's grin widens.

Datamon fires and Tai tilts his head and lets go of her hands. He's falling for less than a second though as both palms catch hold of the wire at once. He screams, and my heart sinks.

"Tai!" I scream again. He can't hear me. His mind is focused on one thing right now.

Datamon.

The wire goes limp for a second before squirming around like a worm on a hook. Tai holds on, never letting go. His teeth barred and eyes furrowed, Tai sends his rival words that chill my spine. "You wanted me," he says with a terrible grin. "You got me."

And then he takes the wire and jams it into his wounded arm.

Things slow down to a crawl for me. I watch as his back arches in shock. Sound is muffled and I can barely move. I don't hear him scream. I can't do anything.

Agumon roars and charges, but is flung away by a single wire. Gabumon tries to double back, but the dark network blocks his path as well. I can't feel anything. I can't move anything. I can't _do_ anything. Even if I wanted to I wouldn't be able to. I just don't care anymore.

_Psychopath_…

_Idiot_…

…

_Tai_…

You damned jerk…

_Why?_

I can't answer that. I can't even breathe. All I can do is watch in horror as Tai's body goes limp and Datamon's wires wrap around him, the wire in his arm pulsing and throbbing. There is nothing left anymore. Nothing at all.

It's like I'm slipping into darkness.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**16**

**Digimon**


	17. Chapter 17

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 17

**A/N: Be careful of the Hurricane. Enjoy.**

* * *

I'm slipping into darkness.

It's weird: I feel like I'm slowly sinking into the most relaxing pool ever. Except in a pool there's a bottom. I don't see a bottom here.

Of course I can't _see_ much of _anything_, here. Wherever _here_ is. _Whatever_ here is… All I know is that I'm falling slowly and I can hardly see a thing. Well maybe that's not true. Every now and again I slip through a kind of cooling mist – like a cloud in the sky. But this place isn't the sky. So what is it?

Well, it's a dark place, that's for sure. But not a black place. There are blues in the distance, dim but beautiful – like dull fireflies lighting up a fog. And it's peaceful out here. I don't really hear anything at the moment, things are pretty calm and serene right now. It's not too hot, not too cold. If this is what the afterlife is like then I don't think it would be so bad.

Am I dead?

No. I don't think so. Usually when people die they head _towards_ the light, right?

…

Unless I'm headed to the _other place_. I mean, I _am_ headed down… Y'know, come to think of it I wouldn't be surprised. I can be a naughty boy…

Focus.

I'm not dead. I can sense my pulse somewhere, though I can't really feel it through my wrist. It's more like I can hear it, throbbing in the back of my head. I don't feel the pain from earlier, but I can _feel_ it, y'know? It's weird, like my arm has fallen asleep around a very thin line along the bicep. I _feel_ where the wound is, and I _feel_ a dull sensation. But I'm not hurt. I'm fine. I'm not dead. But I'm not really real – pardon – _digital_ anymore.

It's like I'm imagining myself into existence.

Whoa. Did that just blow my mind…

I think I'm a ghost-that's-not-a-ghost. I guess. It's more like I'm having an out of body experience, but my body is really far away if that makes sense. I can't be sure. Maybe Izzy can sort it out later. Can't dwell on the exact nature of what I am right now though. Besides, I've got bigger problems right now I have to deal with.

I touched a black wire. Heck, I shoved a black wire into my arm. Not all that discrete, I know. Matt's gonna kill me.

But I had to try. See, I had to know where he put them – his victims. From his own words, absorbing their minds into his own apparently takes some time. How much time? That's what I'm worried about. Rei was still fighting him when I let myself be taken. Maybe it won't be that hard.

But how the hell am I supposed to find another mind when there's nothing but darkness around me?

And how are we supposed to get out?

Before I get an answer there comes a terrible rumble in the distance. A light catches my eye and I turn as I continue to drift downwards. In the distance, muffled rays flicker from behind what appears to be clouds, and the sound of thunder finally pierces the silence. I focus my eyes, trying to see where this storm came from – if it is a storm at all. The more I look in that direction the more doubt I have. With every boom of thunder, with every flash of light from behind the dark clouds, I see the silhouettes of long lines moving in the darkness.

Things don't feel so calm and peaceful then. My descent slows dramatically, while the rumbling in the distance comes sooner and sooner. The flashes are larger, as if the storm that forms them is growing, or the area I'm falling in is shrinking. And with every flash I see the eel like silhouettes wriggle and flail during each brief flash. The clouds begin breaking away, but the flashes of electrical currents course through the space around me, lighting up the darkness. That's when I recognize them for what they are.

Black wires.

Undulating, pulsing, _giant_ black wires are swinging through the dark clouds of this world within Datamon. They can't be real. They don't even have a base. But there must millions of them – the last remnants of the dark network swirling around in Datamon's head.

What am I saying? Datamon is the dark network now. I'm in his head!

I've all but stopped falling; I'm practically suspended in place. The wires appear to be coming closer, along with the clouds and thunder and my own true and final death if I don't figure something out soon.

I try to swim for it, but there's nothing to push against – no water, no matter. I'm truly freefalling in space, and there's nothing I can do. I can only watch as one of the wires breaches it's cloud cover and floats its way towards me. At the head extend three metal claws, reaching for me. This may be it. I may be done for. I grit my teeth and clench my fists. If I'm going down I'm going down my way – fighting tooth and nail, no matter who tries to stop me. And I'm willing to do that until I feel something grabbing tight to my legs. I look down.

A hand, slender and feminine and _glowing blue_, has caught a hold of me.

I don't have time to shriek. I'm pulled beneath the clouds just as the giant wire crosses above me. I can feel wind rush across my head, though the sensation is numb to me. Either way however, I am alive, thanks to my mysterious savior. I turn my head down, hoping to get a good look.

She's a nice looking lady, maybe twenty-five. Surprisingly young. Her brunette hair comes up just below her shoulder blades and splits at the ends – a look I find hauntingly familiar. She appears to be glowing, or at least backlit by a blue aura that I can't explain. She keeps deep brown eyes glaring above us through the clouds, waiting, before regarding me.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm… uh… fine."

"Good," she says. She sighs, closing her eyes and giving herself a chance to rest. "If he had taken you then all would have been lost. I know it."

"How are you doing that?" I ask.

She blinks. "What?"

"Glowing."

She blinks, looking down at herself. "Um… I'm not sure. It starts happening if you've been inside long enough."

"Oh… And the flying?"

She shrugs. "Practice. There are no limits here. In this world there are no rules as gravity or basic physics. The only law is thought."

I shake my head. "I don't understand."

"It's like a dream", she explains. "In a dream if you wish to fly, you fly. Laws of physics be damned. It took me a while to figure that out. This world plays tricks on you."

I frown. "What is this world?"

The woman clears her throat. "You are within Datamon himself. Welcome to the mind of a virus."

"Datamon's mind…" I furrow my eyes. "So what was that thing just now? An antibody?"

"No. More like his search engine. He knows you're in here. He's going to try and find you."

"Why?"

She pauses. "He wants you at the front of the line…"

I shudder. The idea of my thoughts being dissected and digested by the little imp sends goose-bumps down my spine. "Crap… Thanks again."

"You're welcome," she tells me. She extends a glowing blue hand. I hesitate, before shaking it. No use distrusting everyone down here… Where ever _here_ is. After the shake ends she takes back her hand, absently glancing up – or at least the direction above us. I supposed she's keeping an eye out for another of those giant clawed wires. "I was the head of the _Prime-Life_ project during its final stages. My name is –"

"Reiko Saibachi," I answer for her, and then I give myself a mental pat on the back for even remembering.

She turns back to me, an eyebrow arching upwards with curiosity. "You know me?"

I shake my head. "Not really. I mean, I know who you are but…"

"You don't know much." She nods, taking a deep breath. "Still, it sounds like you know more about me than I know about you Taichi Kamiya."

I blink. "You know my name?"

"Of course. Ko-ko used to talk about you all the time –"

I frown. Who the hell was Ko-ko? Did I have an ex-girlfriend who worked for MAGAMI? Most of my crazy exes were still in school. I clear my throat. "Ko-ko?"

"Um... That's right. Koushiro Izumi."

I blink. "Izzy?"

She nods. "That's right."

I blink. "Four foot nothing? Giant eyebrows? Kinda a wimp?"

"That's the one," she giggles.

My grin goes wider. "Ko-ko?"

"MmHmm! Ko-ko's my favorite intern. He keeps up with most of the adults. He's brilliant!"

I don't let her off the hook. "**_Ko-ko_**?"

"Eh… I used to call him my little Ko-ko cause he was so cute… I think he may have had a bit of a crush on me."

My grin cannot grow any bigger. "Really?"

"Eh… I don't think he would have wanted me to tell you that."

"_Psht_, It's not like I'd ever tease him about it." I lie.

We laugh. It feels good too, laughing with a stranger inside a villains mind. But I know it can't last for long. As our laughter dies down, Reiko clears her throat. "You're taking a big risk Mr. Tai."

I shrug. "No guts, no glory."

"You can't fight him here Mr. Tai. This is his domain. His mind."

"Sure you can! There's got to be some way to knock him around. He isn't perfect. Besides, you can't hide out here alone forever."

She makes a face. "Who says I'm alone?"

I frown, confused. Noting my expression, Reiko extends her hand below us. I follow her direction, and have to take a breath.

"Whoa…"

Those dim blue fireflies floating in so far away earlier have shape at this distance. I see their faces, their bodies. People. _Humans_. Some of them are wearing lab coats, others robes. A few even have camo. All of them floating along in the trackless space, their focus out into the distance. It's all a shade of blue, but in a moment I realize what I've stumbled onto. Datamon's victims. The research team. The investigators from Neo-Delhi. This is where they end up.

Does that mean they're still alive? Or that…

I look back up to Reiko, floating patiently in front of me. "Is this… Are they the research team?"

She nods. "It is. What is left of the Quantum Accelerator Project… as well as a few others we've come across."

I catch her by the shoulders. "Hey! He still hasn't digested you guys. That means I've got plenty of time!"

"For what?"

"To save all of your butts. Just watch!" I force myself to turn in the air, facing the specter-like spirits of the fallen. "You all hear that! My name Tai Kamiya, and I'm gonna find a way to save you guys! I –"

She catches my wrist and spins me around to face her. "Stop that!"

"What? They should know that I'm here… Together we can take this guy!"

"What makes you think we haven't already tried?"

"Maybe you have." I grin, pointing to myself. "But I don't think you've ever been with a Digidestined before!"

She pauses, a curious look crossing her face. "No… I suppose you're right. Maybe… Maybe you can lead a revolution in here. We were worried when he took you. But now that he has, I'm glad you're here."

I nod. "Thanks… I think. Uh… Now that I AM here… How do I get out?"

"…"

"What?"

"You don't have a plan?"

"…No."

She looks incredulously at me. "What on earth were you… I mean you let him absorb your mind. You stuck a wire in your arm!"

"You saw that?"

"I sensed it you idiot! We all did. We thought you had gone nuts!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Not one of my brighter moments. I know... Geez you sound like Matt."

"What the hell were you thinking!"

I frown. Definitely like Matt. "I was thinking: 'Datamon's so distracted with other people's minds that maybe I could slip into his.'"

"By stabbing yourself with an exposed wire?"

I place a hand to the back of my neck. "Well… Yeah. That's how he got to her. And I knew I'd still be around because I could see her fighting it. There just had to be some way to make the leap. I took a risk and... well… here I am."

She stares at me as if she cannot believe the things I just spoke of were even based in words. "I don't know whether to think you're brave or stupid."

I shrug. "My friend Sora says I'm 'stupid brave', if that helps."

She pauses, unsure how to react. And then she laughs, placing a hand to her mouth to hide the giggles. "You're funny. I can see why she likes you."

"Who?"

"Rei."

"Rei?" My heart skips a beat. I can _feel_ it. And then it starts pounding dimly in my chest. "Wait, how do you know that? Is she here?"

Reiko nods. "She is. I could hear her moaning your name so I knew you'd come when he took her. I didn't expect her to be so worked up over you though." She looks at me quaintly and gives me a smile. "She really does like you."

If I were back in the Digiworld I'm sure my cheeks would be burning. "She does?"

Reiko nods. "I can tell. You're special to her."

"Oh… Uh…" I clear my throat, trying to regather my thoughts. "Is there some way to make the leap… out?"

She shakes her head. "None that I know of. Least, not ones that are safe."

"What do you mean? How is Rei getting though?"

"We're in Datamon's mind. But Datamon's mind is within her. It's taken over her body, but it's still her body. All she needs to do is wake up and she'll –"

I nod, a grin returning to my face. "She'll throw him out like bad tuna!"

She gives me a funny look and then smiles and shakes her see through head. "I would have thought of a more… tactful phrase but. Yes. She will throw him up like bad tuna. For that reason it appears that he's keeping her heavily sedated within her own consciousness."

"That parasite." I swear, crossing my arms along my chest. "Do you know where she is?"

She turns a finger down below us and into the darkness. "Down that hole."

I follow her finger to what lies below. The farther 'down' we are the darker it appears to get, with a deep blackness that's beginning to hurt my eyes dead center. I flinch and look back up to her, wondering what the hell that represents, then realizing that if she really is down there it doesn't matter. "Wow… That's kinda… empty."

She nods again. "It is."

I take a deep breath. "I have to get down there."

"And then what?"

"I… I don't know. But… I have to do something. I have to try. I have to save you guys!"

At my declaration, Reiko Saibachi makes a strange disbelieving face. "I see… You don't know."

I frown. "Know what?"

She fidgets, her eyes turning away from me for a moment. "Some of us won't be saved today Tai. I need you to know that."

"Nn?"

"…I won't be saved today."

I frown. "I don't know if you know this or not, but I have a zero tolerance for leaving people in danger behind."

She shakes her head. "It's not an issue of danger Tai. Some of us… some of us just aren't going to be able to go."

"What do you mean?"

"Tai, some of us don't have bodies anymore…" She looks away, a chilling sadness creeping onto her glowing blue face. "_I _don't have a body anymore."

I blink. "What are you talking about? I can see your body right here."

She sighes. "When the Prime life-form… When your _Datamon_ took me, he left me in my robe. Kurata's sentries took care of the rest."

"Wait… So…"

She keeps her gaze averted. "Even if you find us a way out… there are those of us who have nowhere to go."

I can only stare. "…You really are ghosts."

"The remnants of a mind: saved in a computer program that plans to merge us all together. I've already forgotten a lot. We all have. It will not take him long to find the rest of us and take our memories for his own. And then we will _be_ Datamon. I've forgotten people, places… It's like I'm dreaming but I can't wake up. I remember… but I don't."

I clear my throat. "…You didn't forget about Ko-ko though."

Her glowing face gives of a sad quality, even though she's smiling. "No. No I didn't. He was like family to me. I hope he can forgive me one day."

"For what?"

"Everything that's happened here… Is my fault."

I frown, floating closer to her. "Hey, it's not your fault! You can't control what other people are doing."

"But I was responsible for it. I was team lead. I should have done my homework on this. I didn't. It's my fault and I have to fall on my sword. I've done a lot of things for the company. A.o.A… MAGAMI. I've done things I'm not proud of. Perhaps this is my penance. But if there is one silver lining in this it's her. My daughter."

My eyes widen in recognition. "Rei."

She nods. "They called her Construct Zero. But I always thought that was so informal. I used to call her my 'Zizi'. But… I like the name you gave her better. It suits her."

"…You know what she is now, right?"

She nods. "I do. I'm sorry he did that to your friend. Had I known then none of this would have happened, I can assure you."

"It's okay." I tell her. "Then I wouldn't have met her. And I would have been stuck doing homework. Trust me, getting stabbed in the arm is worth it."

She blinks, as if she can't tell I'm not being serious. And then she smiles, that familiar look on her face. "You're everything my Ko-ko said you were."

I grin. "That's a compliment right?"

She laughs at that. She goes to say more, but a heavy rumble rolls above our heads. We look up to watch the clouds above us part. Behind them, a single giant claw begins its descent, three fingers out stretched for us. Reiko turns back to me, fear in her eyes. "No…"

"It's found us!" I cry.

"No," she tells me, her eyes never leaving the claw. "It's found me."

My eyes go wide. "Reiko?"

"You'd better hurry."

"But what about –"

"Go!"

She grabs hold of my shoulders. Before I know what she's doing, she's heaved me towards the spiraling black hole below. I hurtle downwards, with no friction to slow my descent, racing past staring ghost/people. They're applauding. Some are cheering. All I can do is look back to her as I fall closer and closer to my destination. "Reiko!"

I barely hear her last request as the claw bears down on her. But I can hear it. "Tell Zizi… I would have loved to have seen her one more time."

And then the claw takes her. Her body fluctuates in color when the three sharp fingers catch hold of her midsection, and she grunts in pain. But she doesn't scream. Even as the arm begins to rise again through the clouds, even as her collegues encircle to watch her ascension, Reiko Saibachi holds her head high and bears it. All I can do is watch.

If… _When_ I get out of here, she will be remembered. I'll make sure of that.

I bite my lip and concentrate. In this world there are no rules as gravity or basic physics, right? So I can speed up my descent on my own. I grit my teeth and think about moving faster. My body surprisingly responds, my long thick hair shifting as my body creates wind on my descent. I fall deeper into the darkness, now more black than blue and growing bleaker by the second. But she's down here. I can sense it.

It takes me many moments of searching. As I fly/fall deeper into the dark recesses of Datamon's mind, I wonder if I haven't crossed the line. I'm risking it all for the clone of a friend – a creature who, just recently, tried to kill me. A part of me asks why I'm doing it. I ignore that part of me. Instead I focus on the task at hand. Namely, discerning direction in a black hole. I never stop moving downwards, even though my eyes wander. The last thing I need is to be lost within Datamon forever.

And then I see it, a tiny speck of light in the distance.

Curious, I press towards it. I'm not so good at this mind-flying thing that I can do it in a straight line, but I've begun making good time through the silence. The darkness is everywhere, choking my eyesight with its blackness. But I still see her. A single light orb in the darkness surrounds her. She lies on a long metal slab, just waiting like a princess in some European fairytale. I've found her alright.

But it's not how I was expecting to find her.

She's wearing that yellow sleeveless and her favorite jeans, the pink fanny-pack Mimi forced her to take as a present on her ninth birthday strapped to her waist, and that silly baby blue hat snuggly fit to her short reddish-brown hair. She can't be more than eleven years old – her shoulders still freckled a little from the sunlight. She stirs, and the metal tubes and wires and mechanical restrains begin to fall off, she gives a groan and her eyes drift open. I see those hazel browns, and I swear I feel like I'm eleven years old again.

"Sora?"

It slips. A knee-jerk reaction I should have stopped. Should have avoided. She turns to me, nice and slow. She has a serious case of drowsiness, but she looks just like Sora did seven years ago. Except she isn't Sora. There are still scars on her wrists just above her gloves, and her hair is a little longer than I remember. It's Rei alright. Not Sora. She lights up when she sees me, and it breaks my heart.

"T-a-i!"

She sounds like she's on fifty different pain killers… or maybe one joint. 'Out of it' would probably best describe it. I laugh sheepishly. "H-hey there…"

She smiles, a bright wide happy smile that lifts her sleepy eyes a little."You… came."

"Yeah. I'm right here."

"I'm… glad."

"Rei?"

She shakes her head, the ends of her lips tilted into a smile of playful disappointment. "T-a-i…" she admonishes me. "Soh-rah…"

"Sora?"

She nods.

I sigh. "No. Not Sora."

She stops smiling. Her hazel brown eyes darken as her eyebrows furrow, and she gives one of the cutest pouts I've ever seen. "Soh-rah!"

I grab onto her shoulders, kneeling until the two of us are at eye level. "Listen to me. You're not Sora. You have to accept that…"

She catches me by the collar. There are tears in building in her eyes. "Sora and Tai! SORA AND TAI!"

I shake my head again. "No. You're not."

She's shaking, a combination of rage panic and withdrawal as whatever Datamon was using to keep her subdued within him begins wearing off. She stares at me with those stolen brown eyes, waiting for me to take back those words. I don't. I can't. Her fingers loosen from my collar and she floats backwards, that familiar look of devastation plastered to her face. "N-not… Sora?"

"No… You're not. Remember?"

"Not… Sora… Not Sora…"

"Rei?"

Her eyes glows red.

She screams and pushes me, hard. Her tiny eleven year old arms aren't strong enough to knock me over, but I do float backwards a bit.

"Not… Human." She spits. "Not Digimon…"

I try to float closer. "Rei… C'mon…"

"Not… Anything…"

Along her face, a single sliver forms. A crack in her data… or her mind or her soul or… or whatever we are! She's falling apart. And it's my fault.

"No." I tell her. I don't think she hears.

"A zero… I'm a… I'm a zero."

She repeats that. _Zero_: over and over again as if the word will sprout wings and take her away. When it doesn't, she can only put her head in her hands. As she slips out of sanity her skin begins to crack, showing fissures in the lining of the girls data. She cries like a banshee, a loud scream that chills the heart. The cracks grow deeper, splitting along her eyes and nose, cutting apart her lips. She's dying like this. If I don't figure out a way to save her subconscious then she'll be lost. And I don't… I just don't know if I'll be able to save her.

…

Yes. I will. _I have to_.

"That's not true," I tell her. "You're not just a zero. You're more than that. You're… You're Rei."

She looks up at me, her brown eyes fading. "…Rei?"

"_Go. Shii. San. Nii. Ichi. **Rei**_. That's your name. That's who you are. You're hyper, and uncontrollable and vengeful, and compassionate and kind. You are you. You are _Rei_. The Zero to my One…" I look at her… really look at her. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"...Rei."

She says that word, that name I gave her only a day ago, as if it's become the most delicious word in the world. The little cracks that had been building in her face have begun to recede. For a moment I think that the worst is over. And then she begins to glow.

I watch in horror as the girl begin to physically alter herself before me, her skin peeling back to reveal what looks like wireframe as she becomes something else. She closes her eyes, her skin glowing pale from the light within her. I can only stare in awe as this eleven year old girl shifts and morphs into something new, yet something familiar. Before it the light forms an oval shell around the Sora look alike. Not unlike…

A digivolution.

It's over before this realization hits me like a ton of bricks. The egg splits open, and her figure is shown to me, new and wonderful. And at once, the same. Her hair hangs lightly to her shoulder blades. Her skin is a light tan. She's adorned in white, a modest dress and blouse set I've never seen her in before. Aside from the robe, it's the most she's worn since I met her. It looks good on her.

What am I saying? She looks good regardless.

I float forward. "Rei?"

She nods. "Rei."

It's a statement. A declaration. Like Agumon announcing the birth of Greymon with every transformation. There is no hesitation, no second guessing. She accepts it. No more running.

It's gonna be alright.

I smile. "Rei."

She smiles back. "Taichi."

Before I know what happened she's thrown her arms around me and squeezes, hard. Her head burries itself into my chest as she heaves into me, her pretty ginger hair just below my nose. I return her hug instantly, tight along her shoulders. We hold like that, just happy to be together again. After a few seconds she looks up at me, those hazel eyes the same as…

I shake the feeling. "I… missed you." I tell her.

"I missed me too." She lowers her head, though her eyes never leave me. "I'm sorry for being asleep for so long. I'm sorry for everything."

I give a half hearted shrug. "That's alright. I was kind of a jerk to you."

"I cut your arm open with a knife."

I blink. "You did do that. That's true."

She fidgets. "Um… If it's any consolation, I promise to never do it again."

I laugh to let her know it's alright. "Sounds good."

She bites he lower lip eyeing me through a smile. And then she leans into me, deeper than before. I feel her smile from into my chest.

Briefly I wonder if Sora would feel like this.

"Thank you." She whispers through the tears.

I blink, looking down at her. "For what?"

"Coming for me. That's all I…" She stops. The smile fades for a minute and those eyes lose their shine. She turns her eyes back to my chest. "…Sora ever wanted."

Sora. My best friend Sora. The one whose back in the real world, likely tired as hell waiting for word. Not from me. From Matt. That's the man she's waiting on back there. I look down at the girl in front of me. She looks like her. But she isn't her. No. Rei is Rei. I take her by the chin and lift her eyes back to mine. "You're right. She got what she wanted. Did you?"

The smile grows again, wider than ever. Her teeth shine, white as snow. She nods slowly, eyes sparkling. "Nn-hmm…."

She lays her face against my chest again, and I lean my chin atop her ginger hair. It's the kind of embrace I wouldn't mind lasting forever. Not romantic. But loving just the same. I made her a promise – we'd find her name. We found it, together. We've been through a lot together. Rei and me, Agumon and Gabumon and…

Matt.

Too soon I pull away from her. Her eyes show panic for a second before adjusting to the reality we've found ourselves in. "We have to go now… Right?" She asks.

"That's right." I answer. "Matt's waiting for me. Us."

She nods. "Okay. Take me home Digidestined."

I nod back. I slip around her so that my arm is beneath her shoulder to give her support when we go flying upwards. She holds on tight. We smile at each other before looking up. We stop smiling as soon as we do.

In the momentary seconds that I looked away, everything about what lies above us changed, and the cruel hands of fate weaved their spell once more. Above us, tentacles with three claws pour below in search of me. Rei holds closer to me, her breathing labored and concerned.

I flinch. "What's going on?"

"He knows what you've done. He's trying to fish us out."

"Don't panic," I tell her. "I'll protect you."

"You've done enough of that today Taichi. It's time to wake up now."

"What? What are you saying?"

She floats in closer. The wires are bearing down on us hard but her face is peaceful and serene. She smiles at me. "It's time to wake up Taichi."

"Rei?"

She leans into me fully, her lips coming closer and closer. I can feel every curve of her body pressed against mine. Her mouth parts, and the breeze from her lips tickles my own. She says it simply, but I understand immediately. And I wonder how I missed it all this time.

**_"Wake up!"_**

I blink, and in that partial second nearly miss what happens to me. Rei catches me by the collar and lifts. She pushes me, and suddenly I am hurtling upwards at excruciating speeds. The rumbling shakes me back and forth as I speed 'higher' and 'higher'. I can't control my ascent at all. It's as if some force has caught me by the shirt and hurled me towards the sky. Away from Rei.

I reach for her. I call her name. But she remains, floating there. Alone. She's smiling as she looks up to me, as if to tell me it's alright. But I don't know how that can be possible. The world around me is breaking apart, fissures in the clouds forming white cracks along Datamons mind. And Rei is caught in the thick of it.

The rumbling extends as wire after wire hurtles towards me. Through the specters of dead and dying human spirits they come, aiming at destroying my identity. But I'm too close to the end now. I shut my eyes as the light intensifies, Eventually the wires break apart, alone with nearly everything else around me. The next thing I know the whole world turns bright white…

Pain shoots throughout my torso. My eyes clench together before I even get a view of my surroundings. My arm has been set on fire. My fingers ache. I gasp and my digital lungs fill with digital oxygen. I'm waking up. I'm waking up and I am alone. I clench my eyes, trying to return to that world, but it's no use now. It's over. I've failed.

_No. _

_Not like this._

Before I can delve deeper into my moping, a sensation of touch jolts me from my musing, and I feel something warm along the edge of my face. I open my eyes.

My hands are across Matt's throat.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**17**

**Digimon**


	18. Chapter 18

**_DISCLAIMER:_ **The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey! Hindsight hiatus warning... too late? Crap. Here you are.**

**A/N2: Quick edit.**

* * *

His hands are across my throat.

They've only been there a few seconds, and it's my own fault too. That doesn't make this any easier. My jaws are locked from the struggle, and my eyelids are fluttering from the strain. My hands are pressed against his chest, trying desperately to push him away. It isn't working. I try not to panic, despite the fact that my best friend in the world is trying to kill me.

No. That's not Tai. _Datamon_ is trying to kill me.

Datamon has my best friend by the arm, hundreds of smaller wires darkly sprouting from the base of the single cord he foolishly plugged into himself, pumping god knows what into his system. Said cord remains connected to the girl we've been calling Rei for the past day or so. It hangs from her mouth like a freakishly long tongue, the deranged smile framing the wire as her red eyes continue to flash dangerously.

I try to keep calm, though it's a losing battle. I think I can go on for another twenty seconds without oxygen before I start to lose myself. In that time, there are some decisions to be made, decisions I'm not gonna like. Decisions that I'm gonna hate. Decisions I'm never going to be able to forgive myself for. Involuntarily my chest heaves underneath him, and a tear begins to form within my eye. You're my best friend Tai. I'm sorry. One hand reaches up to his face.

The other grips tight to the knife.

It hadn't taken Datamon long to subdue us without Tai. Agumon had been first, charging forward with a war cry in a vain attempt to save his partner, tears already streaming down his scaled face. The wire sprouted from the floor like a vine and caught him firmly by the leg before he could react, hauling our dragon friend into the air. He landed in a heap in the corner, knocked for a loop.

Gabumon tried launching a 'Blue Blaster' assault at the mutant hanging from the ceiling, but a wall of wire shot from a wall and shielded Data-Rei from harm. The boiling chemicals from the attack broke apart the data from the wired but failed to reach the target. He took a breath to fire again when a chord snuck up his leg like a constrictor snake and pulled him up into the air as well. He landed beside Agumon, both rookies attempting to gather themselves before Data-Rei-Tai could attack again.

I'd called to the both of them. They were too busy trying not to die. I'd looked around for something – anything – I could use to help.

And that's when my eyes caught sight of it, glimmering on the floor.

That same knife that had been strapped to the girls thigh only a few hours ago. The same knife that had sliced Tai's arm wide open. The knife had just been sitting there, glimmering in the faint light of the control hub: just waiting for humanoid hands to grasp the hilt. As Agumon and Gabumon struggled against the mutant, I kept my eye on the knife.

I hadn't been thinking. I didn't have a plan when I raced over and scooped the weapon off the floor. It had been instinct - my natural reaction to a dire situation. And while 'm not happy that it led to Data-Tai tackling me while Data-Rei continues to leer behind him, at least I tried to do something. I couldn't just sit there while my best friend was swallowed up by a computer. I just couldn't.

Which leads us to where we are right now: with my back to the floor, his legs straddling my chest, his hands across my throat, wires protruding from his right arm, the knife nestled loosely in the palm on my left.

I could try to cut through it. Maybe that would save him, right? Or it could trap Datamon inside my best friend instead, leaving a husk of my girlfriends clone and an enemy I'm not sure we'd ever be able to defeat. Or worse. It could kill him.

I'm scared. I'm more afraid than I've been since I left them all in the forest to be alone. It's a risk I'm not sure I'm ready to take. But I have to do something. I'm running out of… ti..time…

I can hardly think… my mind is starting to blur. I shut my eyes tight. I need to make a decision or I won't be alive much longer.

I grip the base of the knife.

"Matt?"

My eyes snap open.

"T-Tai?" I manage.

"T-T-T-T-Tai!" Agumon sputters from the corner.

"T-Tai, y-you're –", Gabumon tries to cheer, before he is run over by Agumon.

"You're alive! My partner's still alive! Yes! Yes! Yes! You're alive!" At that moment a vine shot towards them and our partners have to split apart to avoid being skewered.

But nearly getting splayed does nothing to remove the smile on Agumon's face.

Tai lets go of me with one hand, grinning at his very relieved partner with teeth shining. "Of course I'm still alive! No two-bit bad guy is gonna hold me d-"

"T-Tai…" I croak.

He blinks. "Matt?"

"Can't… Breathe…"

His eyes suddenly drift to his impaled arm, which continues to push heavily against my throat. The wires quiver with the movement, his fingers still squeezing the life out of me. "Geez!"

He heaves upwards, teeth crunched together. But there's no movement – his hand keeps the pressure on tight. It's not as bad as it had been when both arms were about to snap my neck, but I'm starting to slip.

"Tai, you unhand Matt this instant!" I barely hear Gabumon demand as he bounds away from the monster.

"I-it's not what it looks like," Tai insists. "I can't control it. It's like my hand has a mind of its own!"

"That's the excuse you used that one time I walked in on you with your –"

"Shut it Agumon!"

If I weren't oxygen deprived I'd have laughed. But this isn't a laughing matter – the only one doing so is the freakish monster who has possessed a human replica. Tai keeps shouting things to Agumon and Gabumon – I lose some of the words. I can't see him now. My mind is starting to black out. I feel Tai hovering over me, and I can feel him trying to pry himself away. The knife sits limply in the cradle of my fingers as my system begins to fall apart.

And then suddenly he's off, hand and all, and I take in a long hard breath via painful coughing fit. My senses flood back at once, a throbbing headache already taking over my skull. I reach a hand to my wounded chest and look up, trying to discern what suddenly allowed Tai to let me go.

Tai has a hand on the black wire drilled into his arm.

Several things happen after that which just weren't expected. First, there is no shock from Data-Rei, which I guess is good news. Of course the bad news is, well, odd enough. As soon as Tai's good hand wraps around the black wire jutting disgustingly above me, the infected limb whips up – fingers claw-like – and hovers in front of him. He has time enough to blink before his own hand latches onto his face like an evil octopus.

He panics, one hand trying desperately to fight off the other while my leader thrashes around screaming obscenities at a higher pitch than usual. I'd tease him about it if I wasn't worried my chest had caved in. Agumon and Gabumon attempt to shout encouragement as Tai literally puts up his dukes (duke?) against his own hand. A hand connected to a wire. A wire stuffed down the throat of Datamon's vessel.

I cough, rolling onto my side. My chest is killing me but I rise to a knee. I grit my teeth and try to fight through the pain, shutting my eyes for a moment. And then I focus them on the Digidestined of courage. He's struggling against our enemy, pulling the wire between them taught. I don't take my eyes off them as my hand lowers to the floor for the knife. Without another word I cross over to him, while our partners continue to distract Data-Rei. In seconds I am upon him, the knife at the ready.

"Hold still!" I shout at him.

He finally looks at me and nods an affirmation. His good hand holds off his currently evil hand by the wrist while his corrupted fingers twitch and reach for his face like a spider who's seen it's prey. He grits his teeth with the strain. I bite my lip, bringing the knife to the edge of the wire. We share a glance, Tai grits his teeth, and then I cut upwards. The sharp edge of the blade easily slices through the outer layer of the Dark Network's wiring, but the lines of information that make up the wires connecting fibers gets mangled by the blade and slows the cut. Tai yelps as a jolt is sent through him, and I know the next one has to be cleaner or he may go into shock. With a snarl I send the blade through the rest of the black encased wire, severing it completely. The live end sparks before dropping to the floor. With confidence, Tai flashes me a smile, grabs hold of the wire, and tosses it to the ground.

He immediately falls to his knees, swearing from the pain. But at least the wire is out.

The Rei-mon creature shrieks, his/her glowing red eyes rolling in the back of his/her head. The cord stretching from her throat snaps back into her mouth as quickly as I saw it shoot out just minutes ago, slipping through her lips like a line of Italian spaghetti. She/He/It actually swallows the severed wire, the protrusion visible as it rolls down her throat.

We don't have time to watch a horror show though. I slip the knife into the loop of my belt and catch hold of Tai by the shoulders, hoisting him back to his feet. We've gotta get moving. Datamon almost has a bead on us.

Of course he must have forgotten in the hub-ub. There are still _four_ of us.

**_"Pepper Breath!"_**

**_"Blue Blaster!"_**

Our partners are back on their feet, rejuvenated by Tai's revival, and pissed off at the thrashing they've been getting. The monster gets it from both sides, gasping heavily as wires pop from every direction in an attempt to defend the mind of Datamon against two angry rookies. Tai shakes the cobwebs from his head as I try to lead him to the far wall to be safe.

"That was a hell of a thing…" he whispers to no one in particular. He watches with disgust as his end of the wire begins to dissipate into thin air, while holding tight to his arm to keep the limb from breaking up.

"Tai?"

"Nn… I'm fine, honest. Matt, are you al-"

"Look out!"

Gabumon's voice nearly comes too late. The both of us take a leap back as a wire slams hard into the ground we were standing on, sending fissures up the ancient stone. The mutant seethes at us before turning its attention back at blocking Gabumon's chemical fire and avoiding Agumon's claws. Tai absently rubs his arm as he glares in our enemies direction.

"He's pissed off."

I nod. "Yeah. And I'm all out of ideas.

"No need," he tells me. "All we have to do is wait for –"

He doesn't get to finish his statement. Before we know what hits us wires shoot straight up from around us, throwing dust into the air and forming a tight cage to keep us from running. I'm separated from Tai by a line of taut chords – I don't risk striking them to reach him. Agumon and Gabumon turn to try and help but both are caught in the coils of Data-Rei's wiring. At long last, the battle appears to be over. And we lost.

Snarling, the mutant digi-thing lowers itself to the floor. She/He takes a step forward, the wires in her legs and shoulders popping off and then replacing themselves with each stride towards us. Tai's jacket is still around her shoulders, punctured in at least eight places. He's gonna have a tough time explaining that to his professors.

If we make it out of here.

Datamon leans Rei's crimson eyes over to us, a sneer never leaving her face. She/He eyes me first, his frown deepening from his gaze. And then Datamon turns Rei's attention to Tai.

"HOW?" The creature growls.

He blinks. "Pardon?"

"HOW DID YOU DO IT?"

"Do what?"

"NO ONE… NO ONE HAS ESCAPED THE DARK NETWORK UNSCATHED."

At that Tai… smiles. It's one of those desperate, radically reckless smiles he gets when he's been backed into a corner. I don't see this smile often. I never like it. "Oh no? Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"WHAT?"

Tai sneers, cradling his arm close to his chest. "Don't remember? Don't worry. She'll be here."

His/Her face twists in confusion. "WHO?"

"It's alright. It's time to come out now."

"WHAT SORT OF INSULT IS THIS DIGIDESTINED?"

Tai blinks. His face has an owlish quality I immediately recognize – he's got a scheme working. A good one. He smiles back at the mutant still hanging in the center of the room. "Huh? Oh. I wasn't talking to you."

The creature shakes it head. "…WHAT DO Y-Y-YOOoouuuUU…"

Both human-ish hands fly to the mouth of the girl being controlled. It's red eyes were wide with shock. So are mine. Right in the midst of his/her questioning the sound lost its mechanical twine and retained a raspy, tainted voice I remember from earlier yesterday. I frown. So, she is awake.

Datamon tries to shake off the anomaly, forcibly twisting her head about and beating her temples with her own hands. But the more _he_ fights, the lighter _her_ eyes get, the blood red tint slowly bleeding into pink. And then white. Her clenched jaw slowly relaxes, and the wires connecting her begin to lose their buoyancy. It's in this brief fleeting moment that her head turns towards Tai.

"Ta-i-chi…"

Her words are sluggish, and it's quite possible she's suffering from a concussion from her ordeal. But she's aware of her surroundings, I think. At the very least she's aware of Tai. He smiles at her, that lopsided grin from long ago once again adorning his cheeks.

The walls around us fall through the floor, the wires limply dropping through their hidden compartments. Our partners are loosened from the wall, falling to to the floor with a grunt. I cough and look up to her. She hangs there, waiting. Rei has saved us. For now.

Tai takes a step towards her. "Hi Rei."

As soon as he takes that second step, Reis eyes snap back to red and she snatches her hand away. "NO!" The mechanical voice demands as Datamon brings Rei's scarred hands to the sides of her temple. He forces her to squeeze in an attempt to halt her awakening once and for all. It doesn't work.

"Yes." It's all she says. It's all she needed.

With that, the clone grabs hold of the wire in her neck with both hands, her crimson eyes shut tight from the coming pain. She pulls, hard, the sound of her voice merging with Datamon's as the pain flows through them both. The black wire begins to writhe in her grasp, trying to escape. Smaller wires spread from the base and enter her wrists violently, trying to pull her hands away. She struggles, taking a hand away from the base and pulling at the small strings in her wrists with all her might. The force yanks up both the wires and quite a bit of data from her skin. If we were in the real world there would be blood everywhere, I just know it. She screams, her voice tainted with the metallic drone of the Data monster fighting to keep her.

"He's gone crazy!" I exclaim.

Tai nods. "Two minds controlling one body will do that."

While Data-Rei fights itself to establish its true identity, Tai has the four of us regrouping and scrambling to salvage our mission. "We need to upload that program and we need to do it now."

"What about the survivors?"

He frowns. "We're not gonna be able to do anything for them as long as Datamon's still alive."

I nod. "Agreed."

"So what do we do?" Gabumon asks.

"We get Matt's digivice out and upload the program. After that we'll try to sort things out. Any objections?"

"None here," Gabumon shakes his head.

Agumon bares his teeth. "Let's kick his hackin' butt!"

"C'mon," Tai orders us onwards. "Lets upload this program and get the hell out of here!"

The four of us make another mad dash for the console, avoiding errant wires and trying not to get killed. Behind us we hear the screams of Data-Rei as his mind fights hers, wires snapping and smashing into walls. We keep going. This day is almost over, and we have just this one task left. That's all I can think about when we reach the console safe and sound. Once we're there though, my mind drifts to new problems.

I frown, deep with worry. My Digivice is still inside this thing. I look across the dead console for an ejection switch or something that could manually pop the slot back out of it's casing, but there aren't even screws on the stupid thing. I bite my lip, panic starting to set in. If I don't get that thing out then I'm in serious trouble. My fingers scratch against the consoles surface, but there s no way to dig beneath the terminal to retrieve it. "Tai! I… I can't get…"

Suddenly Agumon is beside me, with a claw raised. I've seen this before. I take several steps away from him.

"**Razor Claw**-_Ayayayayayyayayayaya_!"

The surge of electricity has Agumon dancing about in pain, but his fist has taken a chunk out of the cold surface of the terminal. With a little prodding I'm able to pop my digivice back into my hand. It's still as cold and light as the first day I held it.

"Thanks Agumon."

Agumon twitches. "Y-you're w-welcome."

I funnel my digivice back onto my belt strap and fish out a connecting USB chord from my pocket. I throw all my concentration into plugging that connector into my D-Terminal and bringing the program up to the LCD screen. With that done, I search for the matching USB driver on the console, thankful that computer systems in the Digital world aren't so dissimilar with those in mine. Before I connect the two devices, I take one last look behind me.

Rei is still fighting.

"DO NOT DO THIS!" Datamon pleads with her. "WE ARE SO CLOSE!"

But she fights back, if for nothing else but the guy in front of her. I can only watch with intrigued horror as she brings her wounded hands back to the chord in her neck and pulls once more with all her might.

The black wire slides out in a spray of her data.

"NO. I WILL NOT BE DESTROYED SO SOON. I AM TOO….TOooo… close…"

The last words slip from her lips like a quieting storm, the drone and mechanical whine grinding into a far more 'natural' sound. There's nothing natural about this girl, but at least her possession is over. You can almost see Datamon's influence draining out of her system: starting with the eyes, flowing through her neck, down her torso. Her fingers loosen and her arms fall to her sides. The wires protruding throughout her toned body begin to fall away – driven out of her digital skin with a sickening pop.

"Do it now!" Tai orders.

I nod. With determination I plug the USB chord into the matching driver. Within a few quick keystrokes everything will be over. I grit my teeth. "Uploading: _Vaccine Program V_!"

I press enter. The program flows through. In seconds the entire hub floods with light as the Dark Networks connections systems are overrun with antiviral software. The wires surrounding Tai and Rei spaz and vibrate uncontrollably, as their systems are destroyed from the inside out. There is a low moan of warping material and the eight pods containing the human captives – each connected at the top by wires hanging from the ceiling – begin to drop. They slam into the ground with a loud bang, kicking up dust and debris. The lights flicker violently before shutting off completely. And then everything is quiet.

The console is dead.

It takes a few seconds for our digivices to kick in, brightening the room with twin bright lights while a slight noise whines just loud enough for us to hear. I cough and shake dust off of my designer… aw who am I kidding? My tattered and ruined shirt that I'll have to throw away once we get home. While Tai's partner shakes off the electric current running through his system, I clip my Digivice back on my belt.

It's over.

I breathe a sigh of relief. I feel like lying down right now and just closing my eye for a bit, but I'm pretty sure that an idea like that is dangerous this far underground. It was hard enough finding my way here through the maze when there was power. Getting out is going to be a real mess. Especially with extra people to take care of.

Especially with her.

She stands in the middle of the darkness, legs quivering, fists clenched as she tries desperately to keep it together. Tai lifts his digivice to catch a better look at her. She looks rough. Her ginger-brown hair is tussled every which way, and her face is filled with pain. I hesitate, unsure of what to do. Tai does not. He takes a step forward, fueled on nothing but concern.

"Rei?"

"Ta… Ii… Chii…" Rei manages before slipping out of consciousness. Her body manages to stay on her feet for another secong before toppling over. Tai catches her in his arms before she hits the floor, his face a canvas of concern. I approach with caution. The girl is unresponsive, her breathing shallow and her hair a mess. The clothes she wore are tattered and ragged, particularly Tai's coat, which I'm sure he'll be getting an earful about if he can't find a way to replace it's missing data. I doubt he'd care. He doesn't care about the jacket. He cares about her.

Rei looks out of it, her face drowsy and tired. But her brown eyes are bright as ever… as haunting as ever too. Tai looks confident, in spite of it. He got her out. _We_ got her out. And right now that's all my leader cares about. At least he thinks he does.

I'm almost positive though, that it isn't _her_ he cares about most though.

I toss such thoughts from my head and clear my throat. "Is she okay?"

He doesn't look at me, his brown eyes totally focused on the unconscious girl in his arms. "I dunno. Rei? Rei."

"The wires are pulling back," Gabumon announces. Agumon shushes him for me.

"Tai, what do you want me to do?"

"Nn… Go... see if you can pry the humans out of their pods or… something. Gimme a minute here, 'kay?"

I frown but nod anyway. "Right."

I motion for Gabumon and Agumon to follow me. Gabumon does so without hesitation. Agumon hesitates for only a second, but follows without incident. The three of us make our way through the darkness towards the location of the fallen pods, careful not to trip over debris.

The pods themselves are cold, their casing made of some kind of Digichrome. Their surfaces are smooth, and it's hard to tell how the device is held together, as I can locate no nuts or screws keeping the glass door locked.

"I think we have to break it," Agumon sounds entirely too happy about that.

"You may be right." I nod.

"**Razor-**mmpph!"

Placing Agumon's snout on lockdown with my arms is never fun. For one thing his mouth is so darn wide I have to struggle to keep him from finishing his attack call. But at least I caught him before the lizard did something stupid. "I think you've punched enough for the day."

"MmmHmmHmmmNnmmm…" He glares.

"Matt's right Agumon," Gabumon explains to his friend. "We have to be delicate."

"That's right," I whisper. "No full powered attacks. We're trying to free these people, not kill them."

Agumon snorts but gives me an affirmative. I let go of his snout, and the three of us get to work.

We split up, each of us feeling around for a respective pod and trying to find a way to smash through the tough glass. Agumon and Gabumon of course have an advantage – both digimon are armed with incredibly powerful claws. I fiddle around on the floor and find a pretty solid piece of debries. It's heavy in my hand, rough on the edges. It'll have to do. I aim my digivice down to my chosen pod, hear grumbles from the Digimon who've been briefly deprived of my trinkets full light, focus on a spot and then, with focus, begin the process of shattering glass.

It takes three good hits for me to see the glint of a crack form. Four more and the liquid begins to pour onto the ground. Ifeel it through my knees down my shins – the flow of warm water. It smells a bit like clorox, which sends me scrambling out of the way to avoid any significant burns. Agumon and Gabumon give me grunts of celebration, having already popped their first pods open and moved on. I cross behind the pod and try to rock it, gently. The liquid seeps out little by little, until the human floating within becomes exposed to the air within the hub. I wipe my brow. He's half submerged in the weird liquid. But at least he's free.

Just as I'm about to reach in I hear her.

"T-T… Ta-i-chi?"

Her voice is low. I can barely hear it in the quiet of the hub. But I hear it. I turn my head back to Tai and Rei in the middle of the room. She's stirring, little by little, in his arms. I can't see his face (his back is turned to me) but his body language has softened, as if a huge weight had fallen from his shoulders never to be worn again. He makes an affirmative noise, nodding to her.

"Hey…"

"T-Taichi?"

"That's my name," he tells her. "What's yours?"

I see her look into his eyes for just a moment. She doesn't hesitate. "Rei."

"Rei?"

She nods. "Mm…"

I sigh. So the girl from the desert has returned. Thank the maker for small miracles.

"Can you stand?" I hear him ask.

She nods again. "Mm…"

Tai lifts her from the ground. She leans into him for support. I lift my digivice higher to give them more light. They both look terrible, Tai holding his arm rigidly, her attire torn and ripped everywhere. But they're alive. That's good. They approach the three of us slowly. Her expression brightens when she finally notices us.

"Matt!" She says with a smile.

"Rei." I say with a deep frown.

She looks at me and pales, and suddenly the memories of our day have flooded back to her completely. She looks to Tai and back to me, before finaly casting her eyes to the floor. "…I'm sorry."

I don't try to hide my distrust. I don't need to anymore. "We'll worry about the survivors first. Then we'll figure out what to do with _you_."

Tai frowns. "Do with her?

I nod. "She aided and abetted in a conspiracy against the Digiworld Tai. Even if she wasn't in control of her actions in the beginning, she's crossed a couple of lines."

His frown grows deeper. "That's not –"

"No, Tai. He's right."

He shoots her a glare she looks away from. But she otherwise stands her ground. "I was used in the deaths of several people, awoke a sleeping virus with a desire to destroy the world and I attacked the Digidestined. I have to be judged accordingly. Right?"

She looks to me with those browns. I nod. "…Right."

Tai can only roll his eyes and grunt with frustration. "Nn… We'll figure it out later. Okay?"

Her eyes flit from mine to his, before she nods in agreement. "Mm."

"The first one is up," I hear Gabumon call. I shoot Rei another look – softer this time – before turning and heading back to the first pod we opened. One of the older captives from the look of him. A skinny man with dark brown hair and a nebbish look to him. He's wrapped like the others – tiny little chords forming a makeshift toga around his torso and waist, covering him rather modestly actually. He looks like he has a massive hangover, whatever the case. And he's not too glad to see me.

"W-what happened…"

I clear my throat. "I'm Yamato Ishida. This is Tai Kamiya. We're Digidestined, and we're here to help. How do you feel?"

"M-my head hurts."

"Can you stand sir?"

The man grunts, which I take as an affirmative. I catch hold of his hand and pull him out of the pod. There's still slime covering his arm, making me long for my gloves again, but otherwise he seems alright. He steps out of the cocoon he was held in gingerly, bare feet hesitantly placing themselves on the hub floor. The man clears his throat, clearly bewildered. "Where am I?"

"The Digiworld," I explain. "You're safe."

He blinks in fear. "The Digi… Dear god, we're in the hub?"

"Sir, take a deep breath."

He shakes a panicked head. "You don't understand, we have to get out of here before-"

"It's alright sir, we've uploaded the Vaccine. Datamon is dead."

He catches me by the shoulder. "You don't understand. Those idiots weren't prepared for how advanced he was. The anti-virus only worked theoretically. It wasn't designed for a thinking program."

I frown, my heartbeat getting faster and faster. "What are you saying?"

He doesn't have time to tell me before things start going downhill for us.

It starts with the lights. The darkness we'd been accustomed to for the past few minutes is interrupted by the flicker of overhead lights. Everyone stops what they are doing and look up to see the floodlights in the hub fighting their way back to life. Tai gulps behind me.

"Uh… Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are the lights working?"

I don't answer. How can I? We uploaded the computer program. It hit Datamon like a ton of bricks. It sent the entire Dark Network crashing down. I would have thought that was it. That should have been it. But it isn't.

It never is.

Gabumon's voice is the first to pick up on what is going on. "Matt. The computer screen."

I frown, taking a step closer to the monitor. Despite the gaping hole in the console where my digivice used to be, the screen above continues blinking on and off, a single word spelled out in red every time it manages to be seen.

ERROR

I take a breath. "Well I'll be…"

"You see!" The man flops about, holding onto the wires that keep his extremeties from being exposed. "We're all in mortal danger-"

"Aw, put a cork in it." Agumon grumbles.

"Perhaps it would be best if you assisted your colleagues for now," Gabumon suggests more pacify.

"You don't understand, we have to-"

"Shut up for a second!" Tai barks. The man slinks back a little. I sigh. It's obvious he's frightened about something, and we're not helping.

"Please sir. If you could assist our partners in freeing your friends?"

The old man hesitates, unsure of where he should be going. He looks confused. Terrified. But he does what I ask, limping off towards Agumon and Gabumon to see if he can help pry the other survivors from their liquid prisons. Tai and Rei limp towards me, a worried expression on his face.

"What is it?" Tai asks.

I frown. "The computer is trying to boot up again."

"Datamon?"

I nod. "Datamon."

"He certainly is persistent," my leader observes. I nod again in agreement.

Tai takes a step forward, letting go of Rei and crossing closer to the console. She stumbles lightly, a hand catching my shoulder for support. I frown but say nothing. If she notices she doesn't show it. We're both more focused up front anyway.

"You're still in there, Datamon?" Tai taunts through clenched teeth. "Looks like the research team gets the last laugh after all doesn't it?"

ERROR

That's all the computer says in response.

ERROR

Tai turns back to me with a smirk. "I guess he doesn't wanna talk."

"He probably can't," I sigh, feeling each edge of my Digivice to ensure that there isn't a single scratch. "It's been hard enough straining to kill us. Fighting off a program designed to destroy you can't be easy."

Tai's humor has returned at least. He smiles, looping his good arm behind his head and stetching. "Serve's him right. Eh, Rei?"

"…"

"Rei?"

"T-that's right. "

I frown and turn to her. Here brown eyes are glued to the screen. "Something wrong?"

She shakes her head. "Just a… feeling…"

I turn to say something, but suddenly find the words caught in my throat. Tai Because two English words painted red suddenly have me very concerned.

SYSTEM RESTART

Great. Ishida luck strikes again.

I shake my head. "That's impossible."

Tai shoots his eyes towards me. "What now?"

"T-The systems coming back online."

"Now do you believe me!" The old man exclaims from across the room. "We have to get out of here!"

We ignore him, reading off the rest of the words with building apprehension.

SYSTEM FAILURE

EMERGANCY SEQUENCE INITIATED

ACTIVATING GAIA PROTOCAL.

And then everything goes to hell.

Steam erupts from the center of the hub, directly underneath where Rei had been floating and attacking us moments before. Agumon and Gabumon instinctively stand in defensive positions in front of the fallen survivors, trying to ignore the screams of the old man behind them. As for us, we back as close to the computer screen as we can, shielding our eyes from the flowing mist as the claxons continue to blare around us.

"What's going on?" Gabumon shouts over the noise.

I don't respond. As good as Gabumon is at hearing, in this noise, all he'd catch is my voice. Instead I look back to the computer screen, trying to discern what is going on.

WARNING! WARNING!

GAIA DOWNLOAD INITIATED

"What's it doing?" Tai asks.

"It says it's… downloading."

Tai makes a face. "Downloading what?"

I don't get to theorize. The computer answers for me, the blinking cursor typing off its letters slowly and painfully. But even I can sense the mechanical laughter that would be echoing around this room. The words fill me with dread.

MY NEW BODY –

Tai grits his teeth, his rage getting the best of him. "Not again. Why won't you die?"

We already know the answer. He's a Digimon. Death means nothing.

BEHOLD. The computer writes.

It looks human. It really does. Two legs, two arms, a waist, a head, a torso… If its skin wasn't blue and hair silver I would have thought it was another victim being experimented on. But it isn't human. It can't be. Not the way it's wrapped in that black tape. Not the way those wires hang from its body. Not the way it's eyes burn red.

One final word pops onto the computer screen, painted blood red. A word I know will haunt me for some time to come. A single name.

NEO.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**18**

**Digimon**


	19. Chapter 19

**_DISCLAIMER:_**The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 19

**A/N:** Sorry for the lack of updates. It wasn't for lack of interest. We're about three forths of the way through this, so bear with me a little.

**EDIT:** Fixed some grammar issues.

* * *

NEO? What the hell is a NEO?

I'm vaguely aware it's another language – Latin? Whatever. All I know is it looks like a kid my sisters' age, except it's all strapped up with tiny wires wrapped around its body. Oh, and its skin is blue. Like, dead skin blue. Creepy. It hangs there, suspended on a platform in the center of the damaged hub, propped up with wires and gizmos and crap Izzy would have a field day dissecting. It's staring at us, red eyes burning holes inside our brains; just waiting. For what?

"Oi," Agumon chirps. "It kinda looks like a human."

"So does Rei," Matt quips beside him, and I feel Rei stiffen without having to look at her. She doesn't retort, but I'm sure that hurt.

"You okay?" I ask her quietly.

She nods. "Yes…"

"What is this thing," Gabumon asks, bringing us back to reality.

The old man, the first survivor we've revived, cowers in fear behind the five of us. "The Lifeform… It planned for this. There are backups across the system. They uploaded the virus buster program twice trying to destroy him. Both times he returned. And now… Now he's finished it."

"What is _it_?" Gabumon asks with a huff.

"His body!"

I turn and snatch the old guy by his bare shoulders. "Look old man, we need you to be specific. What do you mean 'his body'? What was Datamon trying to do?"

"He wanted to build a new form in his own image. The purpose for my creation."

That's Rei. Her words mumble off her lips half-heartedly, as if the answer were inevitable. I frown, reaching out for her shoulder. I squeeze firm; enough to remind her that we're still here. We're still fighting. "Don't talk like that," I tell her.  
"You're more than that."

"What is it precisely?" Matt continues, ignoring the faraway look hanging on Rei's face. He edges closer to the downed pods, ice blue eyes never turning from their target.

"T-the ultimate l-life form," The old man says. "The perfected f-fusion of digital and physical material. I… I hadn't thought it possible. He f-finished _NEO_."

"NEO…" Rei whispers.

My frown grows deeper. "Hey, you still with me _Zero_?"

She blinks. "Huh?"

"Rei?"

She nods after a while, her daydream tossed aside with a quick shaking of her head. "Right. I'm here."

I nod. Turning back to my party, I lay the groundwork for our escape/killing-Datamon-fo'-reals. "Alright. Datamon's got a body, but it's mindless. Right? He can't have finished uploading everything if it's not moving."

"S-so what?" The old man grumbles. Agumon growls and he shuts up.

"Oi, old guy," I snap. "Wake your friends up and tell them to bounce. Agumon, Gabumon, let's take out this Neo before he wakes up."

"You've got it!"

"Righ-Grhhaaaahhhh!"

I don't even have time to blink. The things arm stretches across the room like an elastic rubberband and connects with my partners snout hard.

"Agumon!" I cry.

My partner goes flying, spinning in the air and landing against the wall with a thud. The thing is awake then. Great. Agumon's up as soon as he shakes the dust from his scales, already snarling. Matt's partner's up next though.

"**_Blue Bla_**-Nngghh!"

Too late. The small humanoid thing's swings his arm wild, smacking Gabumon clear across the room. He lands in a huff of fur and dust, eyes shut from the pain.

"Gabumon!" Matt screams.

Behind him, the old man cowards in fear. "Ohgodohgodohgod-"

"Can it!" I shout.

"Hang on you two!" Matt calls encouragement.

Agumon's up first, shaking the rocks from his head and snarling. His emerald eyes catch sight of the strange creature, whose attention remains on Gabumon. **_"Pepper Breath!"_**

The ball of flame leaps from Agumon's gullet and spirals directly towards the vacant human-thing. It raises a hand, which suddenly flattens and expands four times its normal size. It swats away the flame like nobody's business, redirecting the bolt of fire into an adjacent wall and knocking more debris into the already ruined hub.

**_"Blue Blaster!" _**Gabumon fires. The creatures other arm expands, flattening out into a shield that deflects the stream of flame away from his vitals. We're oh-for-two, but we're not giving up that easily. Agumon and Gabumon pace away from us so that NEO's eyes are off our party, giving us enough time to turn back to freeing the survivors from their pods.

"I don't think we're going to win against this guy."

"Gg… You're right," I admit. "We retreat and call for back up. We'll need everyone who can still hit ultimate down here now!"

Matt frowns. "You want to completely neutralize the area?"

"That way at least we'll know they're dead. Once this place goes down there'll be nothing left to do but-"

**_"Judgment."_**

I blink. "Uh…."

Matt pales. "Holy…"

The creature barely speaks above a whisper, yet I hear it vibrating in my skull. Then his hands extend to our partners and what can only be described as black lightning races across the expanse between them. There's no time to dodge: upon impact the lightning explodes along their bodies, throwing up dust and data as our partners scream in pain.

I blink and it's over. But the devastation that occurs in that brief space of time has me spooked. There's a tell-tale trail in the tile from where the dark energy arced across the room. The smell of iron and sulfur floats over us all.

"Agumon, Gabumon!"

"Hang on!"

Our partners don't seem to hear us. Both slump against the floor, unconscious. Their data twitching as their internal systems fight to keep them at their current Rookie level.

I shake my head. "What the hell just happened?"

No one answers. They're all transfixed by the creature. And the metallic hand that reared him. Before us, the computer housing Datamon's brain begins typing his thoughts/words. I struggle to keep up, the words a little more difficult for me to parse together than for my blonde companion. That's what a C- in English will get you I guess. Whatever.

I know enough to keep up though. Enough to know that Datamon's ego has returned.

IMPRESSIVE. The computer reports. EVERYTHING I'VE LEARNED ABOUT THE HUMAN STRUCTURE: THEIR STRENGTHS, THEIR WEAKNESSES, THEIR INTELLECT… EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION POOLED INTO ONE VESSEL FOR MY USE. _NEO_. NEITHER DIGIMON NOR HUMAN. A CREATION IN MY OWN IMAGE.

The thing called NEO lowers its arms as Datamon types from his mental prison, red eyes focusing on us: his next victims I guess. I glare back, sweat pouring down my face. From the corner of my eye I see Agumon moving a little. Thank god for small victories. I have to find a way to get to him.

But he's behind NEO, slumped against the wall. And NEO is watching.

IT IS OVER. THE DIGIDESTINED ARE FINISHED! The computer types gleefully. AND NOW MY BEAUTIFUL BODY. ACCEPT ME!

NEO raises his arms and lowers his head, almost as if in prayer. From the base of his platform come four final wires, one aiming for his spine, two for his arms, and the final snake like coil aimed for his skull. I grit my teeth, terrified of what Datamon's intellect will be capable of inside this construct. I hazard a glance over to Agumon again. Something's got to give…

"What am I?"

I blink. That wasn't me. That wasn't Matt, or Rei. It wasn't anything human, and it certainly wasn't our partners. I blink again, and realize that this soft, unassuming voice belongs to the strange creature in front of us.

NEO has spoken!

It's staring at the wire approaching its head, daring it to do something. Its arms are still outstretched, but it doesn't look like a prayer anymore. It looks more like a challenge. The wire itself has stopped moving, wavering in the air, as if it were getting conflicting orders. The other wires have stopped moving in a similar fashion, only centimeters away from the strange mutants' body. Something is happening. I'm not so sure it's a good thing.

I gulp. "…It talks?"

NEO ignores us. Turning his blue head to the computer, he asks again. "Answer please?"

Things pause for a moment.

A GLITCH. The computer writes. HOW PERPLEXING.

NEO tilts its head. "No answer?"

ACCEPT ME. NOW.

The weird looking creature looks up to its mechanical 'mother'. "How boring."

And then the wires preparing to enter it just snap.

Just… burst apart into a million pieces. NEO dropped its arms to the side and they shattered as if the wires themselves didn't even exist. This Neo creature has destroyed a bit of Datamon's dark network with no more effort than the sway of a hand.

Matt's eyes are wide. "Did… Did that thing just."

I can't answer. My mouth is on the floor.

WHAT IS THIS? I eventually piece together from the computer. IT WILL NOT ACCEPT MY PROGRAMING?

The being simply blinks. "Who am I?"

…WHAT?

The creature tilts its head to the side. "Who am I?"

WHAT SORT OF QUESTION IS THAT? The computer types.

"No answer?"

DIGI-NEURAL PATHWAYS ARE ALREADY ONLINE. I HAD NOT FORSEEN THIS. NEO, REBOOT YOUR SYSTEM IMMEDIATELY.

"I do not wish to," the creature says.

REBOOT YOUR SYSTEM IMMEDIATELY. Datamon repeats.

The blue boy frowns. "No."

NO? The computer almost balks. DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?

NEO nods. "You are the remains of Datamon. The Data monster. Virus. Ultimate. Or you were. Currently you are a consciousness without a body. You must use other forms to get what you want. But even before… even then it was true. Datamon is a parasite. A bug. _Nothing more, and nothing less_."

YOU UNGRATEFUL CREATION. Is all the computer can type.

The creature looks up at the computer screen with a puzzled expression. "Why should I care about my creator, when he can't tell me who I am?"

I WILL NOT BE CALLED A FAILURE. REATTACH YOURSELF TO THE DARK NETWORK IMMEDIATELY.

It doesn't. Instead, its red eyes blaze through the computer screen as if looking at Datamon himself. "Do you think I am a Digimon? A program? A simple arrangement of zeros and ones? No. You have done something extraordinary. But you don't even know what it is you've done. Do you?"

There's a long silence as we all wait for Datamon's response. When it comes, I'm not sure I'm given any comfort.

NO. It's all Datamon can type.

Holy hell, does that terrify me.

NEO frowns when he reads the message, a look of dissatisfaction etched on his alien face. He shifts his hands to the side of his body, hovering over the ring connected to his waist. The wires connected to its sides just… freeze I guess. I don't really know how else to describe it. The suddenly stiffen hard along the edges of NEO's ring. And then they release him.

The being floats to the ground, pale blue toes touching the hard surface of the pyramid floor. The wires snap back as if they'd had their hand smacked in the cookie jar, slithering into the floor in a rush. The creature… NEO doesn't pay any attention. It lets a wire bound hand slide through white hair as it waits, ever patient for Datamon's next move.

"Well?" NEO asks.

WHAT ARE YOU? Datamon responds.

At this the creature closes its eyes. "That is the question I asked you. And you… Cannot answer it!"

NEO's voice picks up, it's gentle tone becoming razor sharp with the simplest of inflections. I wince at the sound of it, suddenly very thankful to be out of the way of this parent to child argument. Well it's not really an argument. The child - NEO - has made an accusation to his father. And the dead beat dad can't respond.

A part of me relishes what comes next. But only a small part.

He says it so simply: eight words that shatter this whole equation completely.

"This unit has no further use for you."

And all Datamon can type in response is: WHAT?

It's too late. NEO raises his palms up to the computer, his face the expression of boredom. His fingers shoot out like Palmons vines, slamming headlong into the remains of the computer console. I flinch and cover my eyes as an explosion of sparks and dark energy bursts from the monitor and into the hub. An arc of electricity courses along the far wall, as everything around goes to hell. We get down, avoiding the wave of energy that flows about us as the last remnants of the viruses minds stand purged from the Digiworld. In a matter of seconds the entire computer system is destroyed; deleted by the hands of this… NEO.

Datamon doesn't even get the ability to scream.

In seconds it's over. The damage to the computer, and indeed the hub itself, is extensive. Sparks fly from the console as the system terminates altogether. In one fell motion, Datamon's child has killed its father.

And now all that's left is NEO.

I cough. "T-the hell."

Rei cowers behind me. "…D-Datamon?"

The blue demon shakes his head. "No. Datamon is dead. Etemon is dead. Myotismon is dead. The Dark Masters are dead. I am all of these and none of them."

I frown. "What are you?"

At this… he smiles. "I am NEO. No more… No less."

We let that sit. All of us do. I keep my eye on my partner in the corner and my ear picks up the whimpering of an old man wrapped in wires who may have wet himself. And in front of me stands a freakish looking boy wrapped in the same wire, looking like a white haired blue devil. What in god's name was born down here?

Matt's the first of us to really try to reason with it. "…Listen. We don't any trouble. We, just –"

The hand flies out before we know it, extending across a great expanse and slamming hard into Matt's chest, tossing him nearly a meter in the air. He lands in a hump on the ground, coughing and wheezing from the pain.

"Matt!" I shout out, racing towards my fallen friend. My mistake. I blink, and NEO's face is across from mine, light blue skin only inches from my eyes. I take a step back, but his wiry fingers wrap around my shoulders without a second thought. For such a little guy, he's freakishly strong. I'm on my back in seconds, having been lifted and dropped hard along my spine. I cough, and the bitter metallic taste of my data comes into my mouth.

"Taichi!" I barely hear Rei shout from my side. Before I know what's happened, NEO is off of me, just out of reach to my right. I think Rei just gave him a flying shoulder tackle. I can't be sure. How awesome would that be though!

I shake my head and roll to my side, trying to get a better eye on things. They're fighting. Rei has hold of the much shorter monster-man and is trying desperately to topple him. Most surprising of all… she's is holding her own.

NEO notices it too. "Different,"

"Shut up," she snarls, brown eyes dangerously close to red.

He frowns at her. "Different. Like me."

That makes her blink. "W-what are you saying."

He pushes forward, and Rei is forced to take a step back. I scramble to my feet, trying to reach her. "Rei, get away!"

"Like me," this NEO creature continues, his face emotionless. "Digital code written as if a physical being. Neither of this world or the other. A copy. A clone. No more, no less."

Rei takes that like a shot to the stomach. "Nn…"

With her fully distracted, NEO pushes, hard. She yelps, her shoes skirting along the floor, momentum propelling her towards me. I brace myself and catch, the two of us tumbling to the ground. The impact knocks my breath away, and for a second the world goes dark. Eventually, we stop rolling, settling on the floor in a heap. I groan, open my eyes, and realize that she's landed hard right on top of me.

"Hey…" she says.

"Hey," I respond with a smile, and then say: "You can get off me now."

She blushes and rolls off me, and I spare a second to grin. No more than that. Time to get out of here.

The creature clad in black wire stares out at his handiwork, red eyes glowing deep with indifference. "Digidestined. Without Digimon you are useless here. Unable to do anything. In short, only human. No more no –"

A wire shoots across his face.

NEO blinks, bringing a hand up to his cheek. The outer layer of data making up his blue skin has been split by what appears to be an errant wire swinging wildly out of control by his side. He makes a face, his other hand reaching out and swiftly catching the wriggling wire within his palm. He squeezes, and the wire dies, crumpling into data in seconds. But before he can return to killing us, a second wire shoots out towards him from a far wall. This one he avoids, but it is clear that his attention is now off of us.

More wires pop out, none with a specific goal but all just as dangerous as before.

I frown. "Matt?"

The blonde just shakes his head. "Grab Agumon. I'll get Gabumon. Mister, when your people are up, get them up the stairs. Rei, stay with them!"

I shake my head. "Wait, how'd you get through the firewall?"

He blinks. "We blew a hole through it."

"…"

"What? Gabumon and Agumon blasted the fence and there was a hole and we saw Rei trying to kill you and Agumon went nuts and-"

"Never mind." I throw my head down in embarrassment. You can excuse eleven year old me for not having Agumon blaze through an electric fence. Can't do that with an eighteen year old college student. _Though it was a nice landing_… Whatever. We're here now, right? I take a deep breath and get back to work. "Sounds good enough. Let's do it!"

We split up. Rei doubles back and start pulling people from the pods – the first is a little girl I assume was a Tamer. I clutch my arm and sprint across towards Agumon, noting Matt's figure out of the corner of my eye. Around us, the world is falling apart. The being known as NEO is flying in the center of the room, fighting off wires like they were a giant squids tentacles.

"You okay buddy?"

"Triple... cheeseburger... combo please…" He mumbles. I smile and hug him with my good arm. He grumbles beneath me. "Oi… Tai… You're squeezing too tight."

"S-sorry buddy," I tell him. "We have to go now."

"Nn… But we just got to Miku-tah-norusu" He mumbles, badly botching the name of our favorite burger joint. I shake my head.

"Another time partner," I tell him. "Wakey wakey!"

I shake him a little. The dragons' emerald eyes take their sweet time in opening, but eventually Agumon rejoins me in this reality. "Huh… T-Tai!"

I smile. "'Bout time you woke up snooze-a-saurus."

"H-hack-me." He grumbles. "I feel like I was run over by a Monochromon."

"You'll be fine," I lift my partner into my arms. "C'mon!"

He doesn't argue as I carry him away. From the corner of my eye, I see Matt has scooped the wounded Gabumon across his back. He gives me a quiet nod, and I return it. Poor little guys have been fighting for such a long time now. They can't have much energy left.

We're almost done buddy. I promise.

We gather together by the pods with the survivors and do our best to avoid the errant swings of dark network wire. They're concentrated closer to the wall and away from the NEO creature, thank goodness. But that doesn't bring much comfort.

I set Agumon down gently. He takes a breather, still shaken from the attack. So is Gabumon, the poor old lizard-dog wheezing when Matt eases him to the floor. But they've gotten it together, which is a relief.

Meanwhile the wires continue to swing about uncontrolled, their motions nearly catching NEO off guard. "Interesting," is all the being says as the thick grey wires attempt to wrap around his body. He blasts it with his black lightning but more keep coming.

"W-what is happening," one of the survivors, a balding man in his late forties manages to croak out while staring in fear at the spectacle before us.

"Stay back!" Matt orders, and we all scrunch down to keep as far away from the danger as possible.

I huddle closer to Matt. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, I…" He frowns, blue eyes suddenly gleaming with a thought. "Without Datamon to support it the Dark Network might be falling apart."

I twist my lips and glare at the man we just saved. "Old guy?"

He hesitates. "T-the Network requires an intelligence to function. Otherwise it spirals madly out of control and is a danger to itself. The entire pyramid has been lined with the dark network."

Matt blinks. "You mean without the life form controlling them…"

"The dark network runs berserk."

We turn. NEO has been eavesdropping in the midst of his battles with the crazy wires. He frowns a little – I guess that's his annoyed face. "It appears that I have deleted Datamon far too soon."

He raises his hands again. I order everyone to get down.

**"Judgment!"**

The black lightning again arcs from his palms, this time coursing through the looping black wires that mindlessly flail at him. They all burst apart, data raining from their tips and running all the way back into the ground. For a moment he floats their alone, his dark silhouette framed by the sparkling data falling around him.

And then two more wires pop out where the destroyed came from. And then another, and another. The Dark Network is replacing it's fallen at an expanded rate. We try to keep out of the way, but it's hard to avoid the debris falling around us from the errant wires purposely attacking anything that moves.

"Interesting."

By now what stability the hub had granted us is gone completely. So damaged are its walls that the ceiling itself has begun to crack at the top. The floor beneath us shakes with every new wire that pops from the floor only to be eradicated by NEO. And yet they keep coming. And the shakes, terrible and violent, grow more and more malicious with each passing second. The whole place is going to collapse on the lot of us in a few minutes.

Even NEO knows that.

He turns to us, red eyes flashing even as the black lightning protects him from the dark coils. "This struggle will have to be postponed. For now. Another time… Digidestined."

"What?" Matt frowns.

Without another word, NEO extends its fingers, each digit turning into a snakelike vine. The ten lines shoot into the ground below him, pulsing into the earth and providing the animated mutant an exit.

"Wait!" I snarl.

But it's too late. The creature ignores me. Pretty soon his data begins to unravel, not dissipating but quickly changing its form. NEO becomes almost a liquid, his data pouring into the holes his finger-wires just made. His head is the last to go, red eyes blaring until the darkness takes his data and he disappears into his exit.

Just… Gone.

I stare out into the void it leaves. I swear, it's almost like a dark cloud remains hovering in the air.

"Tai," Matt's voice snaps me out of my stupor. "The whole place is collapsing!"

"Right," I finally nod. "Everybody out!"

We rush as many as we can through the hallway, ushering them up the stairs. Few of them are really awake yet. All of 'em are scared out of their minds though. Two of the adults stand very close to each other: a blonde and a brunette, both looking very disoriented, leaning towards each other. I frown. "Don't just stand there." I tell them with a glare. "Run!"

They two look at us, look to each other, and take off running down the corridor, hand in hand. I smile and turn to Matt. "Ah, love."

He makes a face before grinning back. "Nothing like it."

"Is that everyone?" I continue.

Matt frowns. "I count seven…"

Before we can turn to look for who we missed, a shrill voice raises up behind us. "Wait! Yuu!"

She's young; thirteen… maybe fourteen. Her light brown hair falls down just above her waist. A Tamer no doubt. Or, a former tamer I guess. I don't want to think about what may have happened to her partner. She rushes back down the stairs, trying to reenter the hub. Matt is waiting for her, catching her in his arms and pulling her back.

"Wait a minute!" My blonde companion stresses to her.

She fights against him, thin fists beating at his hands. "I can't leave my little brother! Yuu! Get up Yuu!"

I turn my attention back to the hub. The one we missed – a little kind about ten or eleven, stands shell shocked along the edge of the wall we hovered against, eyes glazed over. I move forward, but the hub rattles even harder. Fissures in the ground crack into the floor, separating us from the dazed and confused boy. The other survivors are shouting at him to move, but he doesn't budge an inch. If we don't do something he's going to be swallowed by the ground.

I take a step forward, but a blur of reddish-brown hair shoots by me.

My eyes grow wide, as Rei heads back into the crumbling ruins and towards the boy, toned legs working overtime to reach the kid.

"Rei!" I call to her.

But she's already to him, wrapping her slender, scarred arms underneath his shoulders and lifting the half-naked pre-teen off of the ground. He says nothing to his rescuer, even as she turns back towards us.

"Catch!" She calls out as she tosses the boy across the fissure. He stumbles his way across to us, the world around him shifting and breaking apart.

"Gottcha!" Matt announces when the boy trips into his arms. The young girl beside him gives a cheer and embraces her loopy little brother, who looks like he's having trouble telling where he is right now.

"Get goin'," Matt orders. "Now!"

The two kids comply – or rather the sister does. The boy still looks out of it. She has to drag him up the stairs and away from the hub, but at least she makes it out of line of sight. All survivors accounted for. Datamon threat… mostly neutralized. Time to go home.

I shoot a thumbs up. "Nice goin' Rei."

She smiles at me, brushing a strand of ginger brown hair out of her eyes.

And then the floor opens up beneath her!

It slants first, the floor just behind her collapsing under the weight of the eight pods. She stumbles, the sudden incline throwing her center of gravity. And then she falls backwards, her feet slipping on the cracking debris and sending her rolling down the incline.

"Taichi!" she screams as she tumbles towards the hole.

"Rei!" I shout. I take a step forward but feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Wait Tai, it's too dangerous!" Matt tells me.

I knock his hand away from my shoulder and turn back to her. "Get off of me!"

"Tai!"

But I'm already away, running full tilt towards the gaping hole in the ground. Rei is hanging from the quickly vaporizing ledge, trying to pull herself up and out of harm's way. With a grunt I rush towards her, dodging falling rocks and debris on my way to the gaping maw. She looks up to me, brown eyes flashing fear. I reach out a hand to her. "Come on! Take my hand!"

She nods and extends her hand towards me as she pulls her waist above the hole. I catch hold of the ledge with my good hand and catch hold of her by the wrist.

"Hang on!" I cry. "I've got you."

She says nothing for a while, straining against digital gravity to hang on for dear life. But she's been sweating, the heat from the battle, and the desert, and the possession, slicking her arms. Though I tighten my grip, Rei descends ever so slightly. She grunts, reaching up to catch hold of my arm with her other hand. It's enough to stabilize her for the moment, but we both know this isn't ideal. She grunts again, fighting pain. "Nn… I'm slipping!"

"I've got you! Just hang on for a little longer alright? Matt's gonna –

I can't get the rest out. The ground lurches beneath me. For a millisecond we're both in the air, before my chest hits the ground, and the weight of Rei's body yanks hard against my arm. I swear from the pain, hard and loud – enough to bring pain to my throat. After a second I hazard a glance from beneath shut eyes to the burning sensation.

My arm is shifting like crazy. I'm gonna lose it if I don't let go.

Rei sees this. Her expression falls. "Taichi… your arm…"

I speak through tightened teeth. "I told you! I've got you!"

"Nn… But who's got you?"

"…"

"You have to… Nn… Let go."

I blink. "What?"

"I'm too heavy."

I shake my head. "No you're not. Stay with me!"

"Taichi, if you don't let me go you're going to lose the arm!"

"And if I do let go, I lose you!"

She's quiet for just a moment. "…I don't belong here Taichi."

"Don't say that!"

"I don't. I know you want me to but… This has gone on far enough. Okay?"

"You're not talking sense Rei." I strain against the weight. Bits of my arm are floating into nothingness. Still I cry to her. "Just hang on a minute more."

"Taichi, it's alright. It's time to let me go."

"No!" I bark. "I saved you before, I'll save you again!"

"Who did you save Taichi?"

I shut up and look at her. She looks up at me, those brown eyes radiating nothing but love… the kind of love I used to get from… Rei laughs a little. Don't think about it. I have her by the hand but she's going to fall if we don't do something. She calls me Stupid Tai in that funny little way. Don't think about it. Her fingers are slipping from my palm. If I don't do something I'll lose her forever. I try to think fast, but every pulse is fixated on her. _Don't think about it! For the love of god don't think about it!_

"Taichi?"

Her voice. Different. Scratchy and worn from screaming. Still as kind and patient. Still her voice. Calling me from my stupor. I gulp and nod.

"I want you to know." She bites her lower lip. "No matter what. I'll always…"

"What…

She looks up at me. Then smiles. "_Tch_… You already know… huh?"

And suddenly everything is still around me, and I'm eleven years old again, holding on to my best friend in the whole world. Around us is death. Below us is oblivion. And in this moment all we have is each other. _And I just can't help it_. My god… She looks just like her in this light.

She always did.

She looks at my hand, then back at me.

"Goodbye… Tai."

And then, she just lets go.

I watch in horror as her body plummets towards the blackness. Her face devoid of pain. Filled only with... love? I don't know. She looks so peaceful as she falls. Even as I scream her name.

No. Not her name. Not the name she's earned. Selfishly I call out the name I've been thinking of since I saw her. Out of instinct. Out of desire. I don't know. Either way it's too late to take it back.

She was never Sora. No matter how much I wanted her to be.

The next thing I know, pale arms wrap beneath my shoulders and hoist me up to my feet. Matt has me tight, pulling with all his strength away from the crumbling floor. We hurtle towards the exit and the safety of the corridor, leaving behind the hub and, by extension, the clone. The girl who looks like…

I struggle at first, reaching towards the abyss. Demanding we go back. Demanding we save the her. And then I say nothing. What else can be said? Matt has me by the arms and I can fight back no more. We are too far away.

All I can do now is weep.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**19**

**Digimon**


	20. Chapter 20

**_DISCLAIMER: _**The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 20

**A/N:** Longest. Chapter. Ever. Also, later today, the first update to "Memoirs of Victory: Taming the Instincts" - now "Digimon Anniversary: Memoirs of Victory" - will be posted, so look out for that.

* * *

All we can do now is run.

I grit my teeth and move forward, my digivice in one hand giving light while my other supports a very drained and _very_ emotional Tai Kamiya. Agumon and Gabumon do their best to keep up, both poor rookies having spent a great deal of energy in the last hour or so trying to keep us alive. Behind them are the survivors; eight humans of various ages and points of life who we've managed to pull out of Datamon's test tubes and back to the land of the living. Behind them, nothing but desolation.

Ours is a motley crew; several generations of humans and two Digimon scrambling in the dark for an exit. The oldest is a thin, grey haired gentleman of Japanese origin, forever squinting his eyes for clarity. The next in line is the balding European, fat fingers clenching each other tight with worry. The first survivor we rescued, the long faced old man with dark hair, remains jumpy and alert, though his crazed expression has at least subsided. There's a much younger blonde man grumbling behind him. I'm guessing thirty or thirty-five. A dirty blonde – his lover I'd imagine – clings to his arm, with the second brunette woman trailing along, fingers tugging at her short hair in what I assume is a nervous tick of hers. Finally, there's the girl – who can't be more than thirteen – and her little brother; ten years old and shell shocked out of his mind.

Around us, the roar of swirling mechanics echoes across the air, a reminder of the terrible machinery that just a few seconds ago provided a danger to me and my friends. And somewhere at the bottom of it all is Rei.

Or what's left of her.

I feel sick about what happened. I mean, how are you supposed to feel when someone you know falls down a giant hole never to be seen again? We weren't friends: not really. Not the way she was with Tai. But she was a living thing, in her way. And her loss is a tragic one. One that no one here feels more strongly than Tai.

Tai. Who from the beginning joked about how alike they were. Tai. Who from the beginning showed an attraction to her that seemed out of place. Tai, who from the beginning must have been thinking of _someone else._

That's the other part that has my heart wrenching in my stomach, though it isn't really news. It's the thing nagging in the back of my mind as my worn doc martens trudge over stone tile and broken rock searching for an exit. He'd told me, long ago, that it wouldn't be a problem. I'm sure he meant it then. But now?

He called her…

No. Don't think about it. It'll only piss you off. There are far more important things to deal with aside from being jealous. Erase it. Put it out of your mind. There will be a time and place to deal with the elephant in the room. Now isn't it. So for Gods sake, don't think about it.

It isn't easy, but somehow I keep my mind on keeping us moving forward, past the burnt wreckage of an electric fence and out into the hall from whence we came. The floor vibrates beneath my feet, and I can only imagine the wires churning below us, desperate for a purpose. They won't be getting one any time soon. Datamon is dead. But that doesn't mean we can stop. Not yet. The very foundation of this place is coming apart at the hinges, rumbling and shifting beneath our feet. We have to get topside, and soon. Otherwise the twelve of us could be buried here for all eternity.

And then no one could mourn Rei.

So we trudge along, shielding our skulls from the small pebbles and dust that fall down to us as the pyramid shakes. The humans are tired and worn, clutching to the wires that make up their only attire, desperate to see the light of day. As far as I know they've been down here for days. They all seem healthy enough, but who knows what Datamon's done to them.

They're the ones who pick up on the danger first.

"What's that?" One of the middle aged women – the brunette – calls our attention to the sounds growing towards our party. Ahead of us, the clickity-clack of metal claws scraping against the worn brick tile echos in the distance, sending us on high alert. Faintly, I can hear the sound of gears whining, and worse, laser fire. I remember the crazy robots in the desert. I don't want to experience that in close quarters.

"Everybody stop."

We grind to a halt, our way barred by some unknown trouble. Tai slips off my shoulder, a frown on his face. Agumon and Gabumon limp ahead, just in case. We wait in the dark a few seconds more, until the sounds are almost deafening. Curious, I raise my digivice to get a better look.

Mini-Gizmon. Hundreds of them. Swirling on top of each other, jerking erratically this way and that, their single red eyes glowing and firing at random towards anything that moves. They cover the walls; a tunnel of robotic terror that, as far as I know, leads to our only exit. But that isn't the worst of it. As they climb across each other, their tiny claws are ripping through armor, tearing at wiring. Some of them are fighting, a maddening dance between machines that leads to more carnage. And when it's over, when one of the Gizmon has finally gone off line, the crazed victor stands tall above their evaporating bodies…

While the losers data flows into them.

The balding survivor gulps. "My god."

The two women huddle together. "W-what are they doing."

The old man frowns. "They're… eating each other."

It's not entirely accurate; or at least… it isn't when Digimon do it. It's more like…

You know what? There really isn't a human equivalent to it. It's _data merging_: at least that's what we call it. It's like everything that made the dying creature strong flows into you. Or so I hear. It's a savage practice most civilized Digimon refuse to partake in; like stealing another's soul. Its something rational, civilized Digimon never do. Hell, even the Dark Masters never partook in stealing data – and they _knew_ they were evil!

Bottom line, this is messed up. This is unnatural. _This is wrong._

We all stand stock still, no one wanting to make a move that might throw their attention our way.

"Monsters." Gabumon snarls.

"W-what are we going to do?" Whispers the eldest man, his thin arms shivering.

I look to Tai, waiting for an order. He gives none. I frown.

The reason Tai is the leader isn't because he's the best at strategies. That's Izzy. It wasn't because he was empathetic to his team. That was Sora. It wasn't because he was the responsible one. That was Joe. It wasn't because he was the most liked. That's Mimi. It wasn't because he sees the big picture. That was me. No, Tai was the leader because out of all of us he was the only one decisive enough to make a call and see it through the end, regardless of how we ended up. And if that has left him… If he's the least bit indecisive now… Then he isn't the Tai I can follow.

"Back away," I whisper. "Slowly."

They hesitate, but eventually our little group begins back peddling towards the corridor we came from. Dust continues to fall from the ceiling with each passive shake of the pyramid, falling into my nose and irritating my sinuses. I do what I can to ignore the sensation. We all do. The going isn't easy, but we are making some decent headway. It even looks like we may even cross down the corridor with no problem at all.

And then the little boy sneezes.

The Gizmon stop moving. One by one their bodies shift across the tile, until their tiny red eyes turn to us.

The bald man says it best. "Oh… Oh no."

The preteen girl shrieks in a panic. "They see us!"

"No duh kid," the blonde man growls.

I frown. "Tai?"

He says nothing, but he does give Agumon a little nod. The dinosaur growls and opens his jaws. "_**Pepper**_**-**…phew…" He coughs once, smoke puffing out of his jaws. "Ugh, I don't feel so hot."

Gabumon trots beside him, hoping to pick up the slack.

"_**Blue Bla**_…um…" My partner sneezes, sapphire eyes blinking as he fights for control of his powers. "Excuse me," he's finally forced to say.

Crap.

"Don't just stand there," the blonde snarls. "Get them to fire!"

But we can't. They're spent. None of us has gotten any sleep, and our last meal was well over six hours ago. This mission has drained us all. Without the Digimon at full strength we have no fire power, which means we're just sitting ducks out in this hall way. Which means that our partners, the strongest beings we've ever known, are just as vulnerable as us. Which means we are nothing but human. No more, no less.

The quiet, ominous voice of NEO is still buzzing in my ear.

The Gizmon have stopped eating each other and instead stare fully in our direction.

"What do we do?" The eldest man asks, bewildered.

I look to Tai. His eyes are distant. His mind is elsewhere. I frown.

"…Run!" I order.

But by then it's too late.

They move as one, their red eyes blazing towards us in a matter of seconds. Our group loses composure and turns tail, heading in the opposite direction. All except Tai. He stands stock still. Waiting for them. I move to catch his shoulder and drag him with the rest of us, but a heavy thump soon presses against me. I look down to see the little girl clutching my chest. I heave as she squeezes. Tai still hasn't moved. I reach out to him. I call him. But by then he can't hear me. No one can.

They fall on top of us, the sounds of their squeaks and squawks surrounding us as they swarm forward en masse. I cover the young teenager for protection and shut my eyes tight. I can almost hear her scream beneath me, even as I feel the spike like claws of each Gizmon pressing into my back in their mad dash. I smell the burn of sulfur, and I feel the wisp of laser fire. And for but a moment I fear death.

And then they're gone; as suddenly as they came. The sounds of their metallic feet clicking down the hallway and out of hearing range. The whole business must have only been a minute or two, but it seemed to last a lifetime. I look up. My digital skin still crawls from their touch. But surprisingly, we've all managed to come out of the ordeal unscathed.

For the most part.

"Grossgrossgrossgross…" The brunette whines.

"It's okay, it's okay," her friend is beside her, trying to calm her.

I frown and rise from atop the little girl, dusting myself off and extending a hand to lift her from the ground. The ordeal has me a bit puzzled. After all, they had us in their sights. Why didn't they kill us? But despite the horrifying nature of our experience, everyone appears to be in good health. A little shook up, certainly. But alive and well.

I notice that the girl still has my hand at this point. I look down at her and raise an eyebrow. She lets go quickly and blushes in that way girls do when they've got a crush. Great. Just what we need right now.

The eldest wraps his thin arms around himself. "W-what was that?"

"Maybe we scared them just as much as they scared us?" Suggests the balding man.

"Or maybe they're just running to grab more troops to kill us with," the middle-aged man spits.

I roll my eyes and look to my leader. He's still standing there. Arms outstretched. I can see his shoulders raising and lowering with every breath, and I can hear him exhale and inhale sharply each and every time. It almost looks like he was waiting for him. My fist clenches involuntarily, and it takes me a second to relax enough to speak up.

"You alright?"

"…Fine." He says, and he leaves it at that.

I want to say something to him; I need it, he needs it. But not here. _Soon_. But not here.

"Is everyone okay?" I call out instead.

"Yeah," grumbles the blonde. He then turns and points menacingly at Agumon. "No thanks to those _things_."

"Hey!" Our dinosaur companion snarls.

"Easy Agumon." Gabumon sooths, but it's clear he's not too happy about the _realitism_ being shown.

"They aren't just _things_ sir," I defend with a frown. "Digimon are beings; with endurance levels just like anything else. They aren't tools."

"They most certainly are." Comes a sly voice from the corner.

"You really believe that Kurata…" the dark haired woman whispers.

I blink and turn to the first survivor, his long face gazing ahead of us. "Living tools, yes," he says as he crosses his arms. "Tools with opinions. Sure. Emotions. Definitely. But tools none the less."

"Our partners are more than just weapons." I glare at him.

"Don't get me wrong son. Not in the pejorative meaning of tool. It's a compliment. Think of all the help that Digimon can provide humanity. Think of what they've done here today." He gives Gabumon a smile. "They truly are incredible monsters".

Gabumon frowns at him, saying nothing. He turns a furry head up to me wanting to know what I'd say. I'm not sure what to say really.

"You said your name was Kurata?"

"Yes?"

My frown grows deeper. "There was a Kurata from the first team. The A.o.A. Are you…?"

The old man squints at me. "Er… Why yes. What of it?"

Confused, I stare at the man in puzzlement. "Izzy told me you weren't supposed to be down here. MAGAMI wasn't paying you."

He blinks. "So you know who we are?" He says with a kind of suspicious shock. He composes himself and nod. "Yes, I was a member of the A.o.A. I was here in an advisory role, and I was privately contracted."

"By who."

"That's confidential."

Before I can dig deeper, Gabumon steps up. "Excuse me." He says. "But how did you manage to survive all this time?"

"That's easy," The blonde man interrupts with a grumble. "He hid away like a coward while his little toys killed everyone."

'_Kurata'_ sighes. "What did you want me to do? Die along with them?"

It's clear the blonde is agitated. "You knew what this … thing was and you allowed it to grow!"

"No one could have foreseen that the life-form would have ulterior motives Mitsuo, particularly one that appeared to be so simple."

"That's a real pile of s-"

"Easy!" I demand, physically stepping between them. "This isn't doing anyone any good. What we need to do now is gather our strength and keep heading upwards."

"And why should we listen to you!" the man called Mitsuo snarls. He turns up his nose and sneers at us. "Everything is all fuddled up because of you. We'd do much better if one of us lead the way; we know these hallways better than you two miscreants and your little pet monsters. For gods sake you're a couple of children-"

"Our partners are not pets," I state coldly. "And you follow us because without us, you'll never make it past the Gizmon – your sentries, remember? And we're not children sir. We stopped being children a long time ago. As for the situation at hand, do you really want us to measure out the blame here?"

"C'mon! I'm just a tech specialist, I'm here to clean up this mess. I didn't, freakin', play God or anything. Not like this… piece of-"

"Mitsuo," the woman beside him calmly but firmly grabs his hand. His entire expression changes.

"Sorry. I'm just sick and tired of all the bull that we have to deal with now because of this guy. And now I'm stuck in a crumbling ruins talking to a teenager with a useless dog…dragon… thing. Seriously, some of these creatures are just –"

By now I've had enough. "Hey! Our partners just spent the better part of a day fighting through _your_ robots to save _you_. If it wasn't for them, you'd still be floating in a soup for Datamon right now. Forgive them if they're a little drained!"

There's a silence that falls afterwards I almost regret. Almost. Eventually, Mitsuo begrudgingly looks to the ground. "Sorry."

"Well… what do they need to recharge?" Asks the other woman.

"Quarter-pounder with cheese…" Agumon mumbles.

"My… ehem… friend means we… need food," Gabumon clarifies.

The eldest man with short grey hair clears his throat. "…Kurata."

"What?" Kurata raises his eyebrow.

"There is… _that_."

Kurata frowns. "It's experimental."

The old man shrugs. "It worked didn't it?"

"Eh… Well…"

I frown again. "What?"

The eldest man blinks, then clears his throat. "A… food supplement program for Digital beings."

"Food!"

It takes all Gabumon has to keep hold of Agumons tail, holding the dinosaur in place so that he doesn't topple the now slightly terrified Kurata. "Down Agumon, down!"

"What's this about food?" I ask.

"Ask him." Mitsuo nods towards a suddenly embarrassed Kurata.

He clears his throat. "I…know a hiding spot."

"The food." I repeat myself.

"It's how we found the coward." Mitsuo scoffs. "He was carrying them to some hidy-hole when we entered the ruins."

"To be honest, I wasn't even sure they would work. I mean they weren't designed for human consumption and…"

I glare at him hard. He's done too much talking. I think he gets the hint.

"…Right. This way."

We shift into a better formation, this time with the old man named Kurata taking point. We continue onwards, attempting to retrace our steps in the dim light, with only the glow of our digivices spreading more sight around us. Kurata seems extremely confident as he trots ahead, even humming a tune to himself.

"Where are we going?" Gabumon asks.

"Hmm," Kurata muses. "Back to my ll…llnnn… Achoo!"

He sneezes loudly, if somewhat strangely. Like he was acting or something. "I'm sorry, could you back your partners up? I think I might be… ah… ahh…" He sneezes again, louder than before, befor sniffling and flashing me a pathetic smile. "Allergic."

Tai makes a face, briefly, but doesn't say anything. He does extend his arm to Agumon, who trots over to him with a confused glance on his face. Gabumon does the same for me, though his own expression remains difficult to read. It rests somewhere between annoyance… and fear.

I'll ask him what's up later.

The rest of the trek is made in relative silence, with the only sounds being our groups breathing and Kurata humming a odd little tune. I spare a few glances towards Tai. He looks unnaturally stiff, as if his soul had already died. My fist clenches again, but I relax. Not yet. _Soon_.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

I'm thrown from my anger by the voice of the girl. She's trotted up beside me, her little brother in tow. I sigh, flinching with the still raw pain of my injuries. "…Yeah." I nod. "Believe it or not we've been through worse."

"Oh." She says. She looks down to the ground, gripping tighter to her quiet brothers hand. "I'm sorry about your friend."

I frown. "…She…" I start, and then I think better on it. "Thank you. I'm sorry too."

"What do you think is going on out there?"

I frown. "I don't know. It sounds like the whole place is moving."

"Do… Do you think we'll make it out?"

I blink. The girl waits for an answer, her teeth against her bottom lip in anticipation. I give her the best smile I can, given the circumstances. "Of course we will."

It's a lie. Or rather an uneducated guess. Faith. Blind, hopeless faith.

But it satisfies her for now. She turns back to her little brother and reassures the little kid that all will be well. He only half responds. I worry about that a little – he may have a concussion. Concussions are no joke. But after a few seconds he responds with another sneeze and then complains about missing his parents and the girl plays big sister. If he is rattled, it doesn't appear to be that bad, and my earlier diagnosis of shell shock seems more apt. I stop eaves dropping after a while. It's clear that, once reassured, she has a handle on things.

I take another look towards Tai. He doesn't look up. I stay cool and look forward for the rest of the trek. Which as it turns out is only a few minutes more. When Kurata leads us to what appears to be a dead end.

"Here it is," Kurata finally announces, and we all come to a stop..

"A wall Kurata?" The dirty blonde woman glares in his direction.

Kurata frowns. "Have you learned nothing in this place?"

The old man with the long face clears his throat and presses both hands against the wall. I raise my digivice to give him more light, but he waves me off. "There's no need," he tells me as he slides his hands along the dusty tile. "I remember."

I don't press on exactly what he remembers, but I do grumble a little to let him know we're on borrowed time. He largely ignores me, slim fingers instead tracing against the wall in the hope of finding something. About a minute into is search I prepare to tell him to forget it.

And that's when his arm slips into the wall.

"Eureka!" The thin old man exclaims while turning to the group with a sly smile.

A hiding wall. Great. Haven't seen one of those in a while.

"Follow me!" The thin man exclaims as he disappears into the hologram

One by one the half-clothed survivors, gingerly step through the false wall and after Kurata. Only the blonde man hesitates.

"Go on," I frown. He bites back an insult and slides through the digital field and to the presumable safety on the other side.

"Tai?" I turn to him.

He says nothing, air escaping through his lips in a huff. And then he is gone inside the hiding wall as well. I take one look behind me before disappearing through the false brick.

It's a small lab, beakers rattling as the pyramid shakes. There isn't a lot of room for the twelve of us to maneuver, but at least we have a slight respite from our trials. As we huddle against a wall Kurata disappears around the corner, only to return with several stacks of some strange box like item that almost looks like it could be a rectangular fruit. He approaches us, keeping a wary eye on our partners and trying not to sneeze.

"Here," he says. "Give this to them"

I raise an eyebrow, but say no more. I hand one to Gabumon and toss the other to Agumon, who chows down almost immediately.

"Food!" He screams. Gabumon just rolls his eyes.

Kurata ignores them both… or at least he tries to. He takes a wide berth around our partners and hands the items to us as well.

"What is this stuff?" I ask.

"It's a collection of nutritional operating internal recovery bits created for use by the mobile sentries," he explains while approaching the rest of our party. "Before we connected them directly to the network they required these things to run, otherwise they're system would run out of power. It had been nutritional supplements for the sentries."

"…You fed them?" Tai surprises me by asking.

"Re-fuelled more like it." Kurata makes a face at him. "…The sentries aren't properly alive."

Tai frowns. "With _fuel_ that a human could digest and survive off of?"

Kurata shrugs. "Data is data. The food, the water, all of it. Just bits and pieces of information. It's no different from a person eating dog food in a time of crisis."

Something about that rubs me wrong, but I don't pick at it. Tai glares for considerably longer, but he falls back to his odd silence, which is pissing me off more and more. I rub my chest, for the first time checking to see how bent my wiring is. I can't feel anything serious, and I don't feel like my core is fluxing or anything. Still, better safe than sorry.

"Got a name?" I ask Kurata to pass the time.

He shakes his head. "No. Nothing fancy. We're… well… _I_ was calling it Digi-N.O.I.R."

"DigiNnoooEEerrr…?" Agumon tries to work through his brain. "There has to be a better name for that."

"Are they… good?" Ask the brunette lady as Kurata hands them out.

Before he can answer I hear a nasally moan from across the room. "Numnumnum…"

I smile. "Well, at least Agumon likes it."

"It's an acquired taste." My own partner gives his review after sipping lightly.

"It's food," Agumon glares. "Stop complaining."

"I'm not complaining. I'm just saying this isn't completely… ideal."

"You don't want yours?"

"I never said that… Hey! Claws off!"

While Gabumon snaps his jaws at Agumons encroaching claws and the two get back to arguing, I settle on the side of the wall and take a good look at our group. "So… anybody want to tell us who they are?"

They all look at me with nervousness. No one wants to introduce themselves first. I sigh and get comfortable against the wall.

"No one?"

The bald old man clears his throat. "Well. We know nothing about _you_. Except that you're a… Digi… something."

"Digidestined."

The brunette blinks. "Like, those eight Japanese kids who flew into the sky all those years ago?"

"That's right." I nod. "I'm Matt Ishida. My… friend over there is Tai. We're part of the Digidestined and we were contacted to try and find you… It hasn't quite gone to plan yet, sorry but… That's us. These are our partners. "Gabumon…"

"Ehem… hello."

"And Agumon."

"_Numnumnum_…"

The balding old man looks around. "What do you want us to say?"

I clear my throat. "You don't have to say anything. But… Well I just figured, we're going to be together for a little while longer. Might as well get to know each other. Maybe find out why Datamon sparred you."

No one says anything for a while, each adult looking to the other. Finally one of the women speaks up. "Well… um… I-I'm Tally Oonodera. And… I have no idea what that thing wanted with me."

"None of us do," the blonde grumbles. "Do you think we'd be here if we did?"

The other woman shoots an elbow in his ribs. "Settle down Mitsuo," she tells him. He grumbles some more before continuing to feed from his cube. Satisfied, the woman beside him – I'm guessing his girlfriend – speaks up. "I'm Riley Ootori. Tally and I worked on the vaccine together."

"Okay," I nod. I turn to the blonde jerk beside them. He looks up from his meal and glares at me.

"…"

I frown. "Well?"

Riley elbows him again. He grumbles, but still doesn't answer. She sighs and speaks up. "This is Mitsuo Yamaki. Lead programmer."

Mitsuo keeps on glaring.

"Please excuse him," Riley says. "He really is thankful for you saving us."

"Don't put words in my mouth," he finally speaks up.

Riley elbows him again. "You've put your foot in it so often today. I just thought you'd like a change of pace."

He rolls his eyes and moves back to his meal. I shake my head. I'm glad I won't have to know this guy to much longer. I turn to the next in line, the young teenager with her little brother, who still looks really depressed.

"Well?"

She clears her throat. "I'm Nene Amano. This is my little brother Yuu."

The boy doesn't really look up at me. "…Hi."

"Hi." I smile at him, trying to be reassuring. I'm not sure its working.

"We're... We _were_ Tamers. But... I think Datamon may have eaten..." She looks down. Tears may start welling in her eyes at any moment. "They're gone aren't they?"

The eldest lays a hand on her shoulder. "There there, you did your best. That's all we asked for from you."

Nene sniffles a little bit but nods, leaning her back against the wall. I sigh.

"Thanks." I say. "And you are?"

"Uh, yes. I'm Haruhiko Kogure. I was in charge of the investigation. I was the highest ranking scientist on the team and..."

"What?"

"I… well, I'm not too proud to say this, but I think I'm responsible for creating NEO."

Tai frowns. "Datamon is responsible for creating NEO."

"Maybe… But I gave him all the tools he needed. I had been sending emails to the leads down here on data manipulation programs and... well, the end result was... NEO."

The bald man scratches his head. "He would have gotten them some other way. You can't beat yourself up Mr. Gure."

"And you?"

He blinks. "Professor Percival Piyotte at your service. I was brought along to try and salvage the mission in some way. I'm interested in the similarities between human brains and the cores of digital beings. I suppose that is why I was sparred."

"…And what about you old man?"

I glance at Tai, who says it with such a coolness that even I'm chilled by it. Kurata blinks, unsure of what to say. Mitsuo has enough words for both of them it seems.

"Kurata just got lucky as hell."

"Yes… I suppose that's true enough. Akihiro Kurata formally of the A.o.A., currently assisting with the MAGAMI's first-life programs."

"We know already." Tai says with an edge. "What I want to know is who is paying you now. And how can I get my hands on them?"

Kurata flinches. "I'm afraid that's confidential."

"Probably some government thing." Mitsuo mumbles until getting poked in the chest by Rileys elbow.

"That true?" I ask.

Kurata gives me a once over. "Again. It's confidential."

Tai spits. "How convenient."

The woman named Riley frowns and leans closer to me. "Is he okay?"

"…Fine." I glare in Tais' direction. "We lost a friend today."

Kurata blinks, a bemused smile crossing his thin face. "Oh? You're talking about the construct-"

"She wasn't a _construct_ old man! She was…"

"Tai!"

He blinks. I don't think he fully realized that his good arm had caught Kurata by the neck, surprising the old man with his fury. He let go, his hand automatically moving towards his injured limb, staring at all of us. We all stared back, in various levels of shock and anger. He hesitates when his eyes fall on me, and his whole body lurches apologetically. But it isn't in his body that you see how he feels. It's in his eyes. Those chocolate browns hold a mirror to Tai's soul. And somewhere inside he's defiant to the last.

"Forget it," he mumbles under his breath. Before anyone can say any more crosses away from us, bad arm stiff along his stomach. He glares ahead of him, walking silently towards the outer wall. Agumon calls to him. Tai ignores him. Eventually our leader just disappears behind the hidden wall.

Nene looks at me. "Are you sure he's okay?"

I frown, rising from my seat against the wall and heading after him. "Fine," I tell her.

"Matt?" Asks Gabumon as he puts down his food.

"It's nothing. Don't worry everyone, just some Digidestined business."

"We're coming." Gabumon announces.

Agumon blinks. "Huh?"

"_We're coming_," Gabumon glares. Agumon rolls his eyes, tosses his piece of Digi-data-N-U-whatever in the air and swallows in one gulp, before hopping after us. I suppose I should have known better than to think we'd get complete privacy.

"Thanks." I tell them. They both nod and say not another word. They know Tai's acting out. And they know part of the reason why. They want to help.

But if they knew what I was planning they'd have stopped me on the spot.

Too late now. I'm doing this a little earlier than I wanted and with two sets of eyes that we didn't need, but it's now or never. It's time that we dealt with this thing between us. The sword that's been hanging over our friendship for years now. The thing we won't talk about.

The elephant in the room.

It isn't some secret. I've known for a while. We just both agreed to bottle it up. How do you deal with something like this? Can you. I don't know. Thinking of it now though, we probably should have just gotten this over with.

Tai's known Sora since they were little. Hell, let's be honest, he knows her better than I do. It was fairly obvious to everyone out side of the two soccer nuts that, at the very least, he had a crush on her. He's always been protective of her in a way he isn't with his sister. He used to hover when they would hang out, a hand always across her shoulder, a knee always pressed to hers, fingers roughly running through short ginger hair whenever he was teasing her. She didn't mind, it was their thing. They were close. Downright inseparable.

And then something happened. _We_ happened. Sora and I happened.

It started as friendly luncheons, little chats over sandwiches while waiting for the rest of our friends. It grew to personal meetings, breakfast here, lunch there, ice cream after rehearsal or a movie after tennis. I don't remember when our casual meetings became us casually dating. But once we got there it all clicked together.

And that left us in an awkward position. Because while we had fallen in love with each other, we both very much loved Tai.

Sora told me he smiled when she told him we were more than just friends; that he'd pushed her in and given his blessing. That hadn't been enough. I had to hear it. At a free moment I cornered him in school and asked him, point blank, how he felt. Honestly.

I never really got an answer.

What I remember him telling me is that his feelings for Sora went beyond just friendship. But in the same breath… in that same moment, he told me there were no worries. He was happy for us. He wanted us to work. Right then and there he told me that his feelings for Sora would never come between _us_, regardless of what those feelings are.

I never found out just how head over heels my friend was over my lover. But Rei has given me a glimpse at it I think.

I don't like it.

I hold it in, my hands making fists in my pockets. I'm hoping I'm far enough away so that the survivors don't worry about what's going to happen. But the obvious is that this is going to happen now. Regardless.

He's only standing a few meters away from the hidden wall, slouched against the wall, hand bracing his wounded arm. I motion for Agumon and Gabumon to give us a second. Agumon takes a step to follow anyway, but Gabumon raises a paw and nothing further comes of it. I take a breath, wincing as digital oxygen falls in, and I take a step to confront my fallen friend.

"Well?" I say quietly.

"…What?" He responds, far quieter.

"What now Tai?"

"…I don't know."

"Tai?"

He can't face me. His eyes keep darting away from mine. "…I don't know okay?"

"Are we at least going to talk about this?"

He turns away. "…There's nothing to say."

"…You don't think so?"

"I didn't mean… I'm sorry. Okay?"

My voice raises on its own. "Don't just give me sorry. You've given me sorry before. I don't want it."

"…Whatever."

"You're just gonna stand there and sulk. Huh?"

"…"

"Tai?"

He looks to me. Lost. He's so depressed that he doesn't see it coming, though he really should. He's known me long enough. I take a deep breath.

"Alright."

And then I swing for the fences.

"Tai!" Agumon shouts. He is of course, too late.

I catch him just below the left eye, the knuckle of my middle finger connecting with his cheek. I catch him hard. His head rocks sideways, eyes wide from my strike, his entire body losing its balance briefly. It's not my best punch – I've nearly knocked him cold before (he insists it was a lucky shot). But it's enough. It has to be enough.

As always, our partner are between us before anything major occurs between us, though I very much doubt there would have been any more anyway.

"Matt what are you doing?" Gabumon shouts as he holds onto one arm. "This isn't the time to be fighting!"

I ignore him, fighting against our partners to get at the boy who cowers against the wall.  
"Is this what you want Tai? Huh? For me to hurt you!"

His voice is a broken whisper. "Don't I deserve it?"

I snarl. "Dammit Tai, snap out of it!"

He shakes his head, his voice wavering. "I'm finally awake alright! I was so reckless today and we've lost so much. I can understand if you hate me."

"Idiot!" I'm shouting now, which wasn't my intent. "You really have no idea, do you? Yeah, I'm pissed. But you are not making me go through losing you again! Do you understand?"

"Matt…"

The silence between us is deafening

I'm… having a lot of trouble keeping it together now. I'm… I'm really emotional, and angry and scared and sorry and everything is just warping together. It takes all I have to force these next words out. "All this time… I've been waiting… Hoping you'd hurry up and snap out of it. That you admit your mistake and move on. But if all you're going to do is sit there and mope about how much of an idiot you are then I'm going to have to force you to snap out of it with my fists. For gods sakes you stuffed a wire in your arm!"

"Matt I'm sorry… I had to –"

"Had to what!"

"I had to try and save her… them."

"By throwing away your life! You had no idea what he could do to you and you jumped in anyway! What would I have told your family? Kari? Sora and the others! Do you know what would have happened to us if you died you!"

And that sends Tai's eyes hurtling to mine. He opens his mouth to speak and, after finding no words, simply looks to the ground in shame. "I'm sorry…"

"Bull!"

"Matt calm yourself, you're scarring the survivors!"

Gabumons voice catches me from my rage. I turn and look over to the entrance to find all eight of the survivors staring at us, their heads and bodies framed by the second hollow-wall. They all look on bewildered at this spectacle. Its my own fault. I couldn't keep my cool.

"What the hell is going on here?" Demands Mitsuo.

"Just stay back," I raise a hand. I ignore them here on, though I register that there are mumbles behind me. Instead, I turn to my partner and his friend. "You two can let go of me now."

"I'm not going to let you hurt Tai." Agumon snarls. It's almost a threat.

"I'm not going to hurt him Agumon. I promise."

Agumon hesitates, but eventually I am released from their claws. I sigh, leaning against the wall opposite a humbled Tai. "Out with it," I say. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

His voice is broken and pained. "I couldn't save her…"

"What?"

"I promised I'd never let anything happen to her, and I failed… I couldn't save her!"

"Who!"

"…"

I shut my eyes tight. "I'm only going to tell you this once. Only once. She wasn't Sora. Okay? That was a carbon copy filled with memories and data that confused the hell out of her. She was a digital life-form."

"I... I know she isn't Sora, I just..." His face twists in confusion and anger, emptions running wild. "I don't know, okay! I don't know what to say to you Matt. Rei was... S-she was our friend-"

"YES! A friend who sacrificed herself to save us. To save you. To protect you. And this is how you treat her? By thinking of someone else?"

He tries to lie. "I-I wasn't thinking of…"

"She _isn't_ Sora, Tai! No matter what she looks like. No matter how she acted. No matter how much you hoped she'd be the same so that you didn't feel guilty about whatever you feel for _my_ girlfriend. She wasn't her. Whatever feelings Rei had for you, those feeling were Rei's, not Sora's. She deserves better than this from you. From both of us. We're the ones who showed her a better way to live. We showed her friendship. We gave her courage. And she died protecting us. Now we have to make sure her death wasn't in vain. Do you understand?"

"…"

"Get it together Tai! That wasn't her. And we need you."

He blinks, as if it's the first time he's heard me acknowledge him. "Me?"

"You're our leader, right?" I say. "Lead us."

"Matt…"

His hand reaches for my cheek. I flinch at contact, his fingers are rough and hot against the moisture on my cheek. Tears. I've been crying? Well how about that. I reach my own hand up and hold on to his. I lock my eyes with his. "Alright?"

He hesitates, brown eyes searching me for more punishment. None comes. He sighs and nods, his good hand scratching the back of his neck. "…Right."

I return the nod. And that's it. How we settle things between the two of us.

Punch punch, wuss out. Remind each other how much we love one another. Ignore the elephant in the room. _Never speak of it again_. Rinse and repeat.

One day we'll have to talk about it. We're going to hate it. It may change us. It may end us. Regardless… That day terrifies me.

That day is not today.

"Matt?"

His voice jolts me out of my thoughts. "Yeah?"

"I didn't know you cared so much," he says. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn he cracked a smile there.

_Of course I care you idiot. You're my best friend_.

I don't say that though. "Yeah well… don't get used to it."

"Mister Matt?"

I cough, and spin on my heel. I totally forgot the others were still out here. Staring at us. Their faces run the gamut of confusion to bemusement to annoyance. Nene in particular is making a flustered face at me.

"Mister Matt…" Nene bridges the topic delicately. "…Are you two… _gay_?"

There's a silence. And then… I can't help it. It builds from my stomach, past the pain, until it presses through my lips and out into the air. A laugh. A good, healthy laugh starts up that I can even try to control. My arms wrap around my sides to try and stymie the pain. It's no use, but the pain is making me laugh even more. Not only that, but now even the other survivors are starting to chuckle. The innocent way she asked triggers the most tickling sensation, and it washes over the corridor in waves. She of course doesn't think its very funny, and pouts at me. But I can't help it. We all need a laugh so desperately that it's come out here and now. When we needed it most. I turn to Tai, and there is a definite smile forming. Things feel good.

And of course, that's when it goes to hell again.

"Hush!"

It's Gabumon. We quiet down as soon as he barks the command, noticing that his entire demeanor has changed. His body is rigid, his eyes focused on the dark. I frown, approaching my partner. "What is it?"

His frown deepens. He ignores me, instead turning to Agumon. "Hear that?"

The dinosaur tilts his head in thought, before a low growl builds in his throat. "Yeah. It's coming this way."

Kogure stammers. "W-what is it?"

"Gizmon." Agumon announces and Gabumon nods the affirmative.

"What? Down here?"

"I-Impossible. They can't see the hidden passages without something controlling them, right?

Kurata looks like he's sweating. "M-maybe Datamon…"

I shake my head. "Datamon is dead."

Now and forever. I hope.

"Then what?" Asks Riley.

"What does it matter," Mitsuo shouts. "We're screwed!"

"We've got to move," I state frantically. I turn to our partners. "Guys, are you done with breakfast?"

"I can eat more."

"Agumon…"

"…Yes." He pouts.

I feel a tug on my pant leg. "I'm ready whenever you are Matt," says Gabumon.

"B-but where are we going." Kogure shivers.

I open my mouth, but I'm stumped. I can't think of a solid way out of this jam. We've backed ourselves into a dead end. We can only hope that our partners are strong enough to fight through them. I grip my digivice, praying for a miracle.

"Everybody back!"

The voice is sharp and commanding, a shrill cry that hurts my throat to hear. But it stops us all in our tracks. And suddenly things don't seem so bad. I swivel on my heel, my eyes facing the voices very determined, very alert owner. "…Tai?"

"Stay back!"

"We're no safer in here than we were in that hallway!"

Tai ignores Mitsuo, motioning to his dragonoid partner towards the approaching enemy. "Agumon, feeling better buddy?"

"Uh-huh!" Agumon grins. "Like a whole new 'mon!"

"Good. 'Cause we need you to hit the ceiling."

"What?" He blinks.

"Trust me."

He blinks again. And then Agumon's teeth sparkle as he smiles. "You got it!"

"What in the devils name is going on?" Piyotte shouts.

Agumon's snout swivels skywards, ignoring the rest of the survivors. Tai looks to me. I understand. "Heads down!"

_**"Pepper Breath!"**_

It's clear that Agumon is back to fighting shape, because there is no smoke pettering out from his jaw. Just a hug burning mass of flames sent hurtling upwards. The blast sets loose rocks from the ceiling, chucks of stone toppling onto the floor in front of the hidden wall.

"Again!" Tai orders.

_**"Pepper Breath!"**_

Agumon's aim is spot on, landing a ball of flame directly into the previous hole in the ceiling. More rock falls to the ground building like a mound before the opening. In the distance though we can see the sight of several red dots swiveling in the darkness, and know that the Gizmon are close.

Tai grits his teeth. "Hit it with everything you've got!"

Agumon doesn't disappoint. _**"Pepper Burner!"**_

A final blast from Agumon, bigger and hotter than the others, turns Agumon's face red and flies from his jaws into the ceiling one final time. The room shakes around us, and we have to cover our eyes from the dust that had been kicked up. The lights flicker and dim, and the situation again looks dire.

When the dust settles we stare at their handy work. A chunk is missing from the ceiling. And there are burning rocks and debris in the way of our exit.

Piyotte pales. "Y-you sealed us off…"

Kogure panics. "W-w-we're doomed now."

"…Tch. Don't hold your breath."

"Eh?"

Nene looks from Tai to me, confusion on her face. "M-Mister Matt?"

I smile. "Don't worry Nene. Everything's gonna' be just fine."

And I mean it this time.

One hand clutches his arm, now dangling useless by his side. But that doesn't faze him. There's a sadness in those browns now, a heartache I can't imagine. But that doesn't faze him either. He stands erect, his shoulders squared, his eyes focused. In that instant I know he's back: the boy who led seven children to war is still alive and well. The man who defied the governments of the world. The Digidestined of Courage. And it looks like he's got a little fight left in him. He glares around the hallway to the survivors, each standing in awe of him. I can't help but smile a little.

He's back.

"My name is Tai Kamiya." He declares with a purpose. "And we are getting the hell out of here!"

* * *

**GODFALL**

**20**

**Digimon**


	21. Chapter 21

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 21

* * *

We are getting the hell out of here. Swear to god, we are getting the hell out of here!

Agumon and Gabumon are both back to fighting condition thanks to a quick dinner… or is it breakfast? We've blocked off our only exit with debris from the ceiling, so we're making a new one on the other side. We had the survivors push away any tables or desks that stood in our way, and now Agumon is hammering the wall with shot after shot of his _Pepper Breath_.

Across the room, the pile of rubble that's both protecting us and blocking our exit shifts as every once in a while one of the hundreds of crazed Gizmon on the other side bounces up against the stone debris. The good news is they haven't broken through. The bad news is…

"This is taking too long."

That's Matt's voice. Calm, and focused like always. I frown and turn to him, a frown on my face. "We're making progress."

"Yeah, but filling a hallway with ruble from an unstable ceiling is one thing. Breaking through a solid brick wall is another. Agumon can't keep pelting fireballs over and over like this. He's going to burn through all his energy."

I frown, biting my lower lip to ignore the shooting pain in my arm. "You're right. Ease up buddy."

Agumon huffs one final blast at the wall before yawning out a puff of smoke. The ball of flame blows another chunk out of the wall he was aiming for, but we still see no trace of the outside. I frown.

According to the head old guy – Kurata – this wall should have been the easiest to break through. There are only a couple meters of digital brick between it and the corridor behind, so it should have been easy. But we've hit a snag, and we don't have time to pelt at pure brick when we've got spider-mechs at our door and a ceiling that could collapse at any moment. I sigh.

What a sucky weekend.

"What's going on?" The balding man – Piyotte, I think – speaks up.

"Just hold on a second," I suggest.

The blonde guy frowns, while crossing his arms. "You got us into this mess kid."

"Mitsuo, please calm down," his lady-friend shushes him.

"I-is there anything we can help you with."

Matt shakes his head at the timid old geezer. "Just sit tight sir. Let us handle this."

Agumon huffs. "I can break through Tai."

"I know you can buddy," I say with a weak smile. "But we need you to have some strength left over just in case."

Gabumon nods in agreement. "That's right. Who knows what dangers may lay ahead?"

"What we need is to get through in one solid blast." Matt muses.

Agumon pouts. "But I can do it!"

I let my good hand rest on his snout. "If you could you would have already. Don't overwork yourself. Take a breather."

My partner pouts a little, but doesn't argue any more. Truth is he probably could blow a hole through the wall if he really pushed himself, but that would result in him using what strength he gained from his admittedly light supper/breakfast. Regardless of how hot or fast his fireball attacks are, it's gonna require several more in rapid succession, and we don't have that kind of time. If he had an attack that could quickly roll through rock it would be one thing, but that isn't the case. As good as Gabumon is - and he is good – one rookie alone isn't going to defend us from a horde of crazed robots that are willing to eat themselves to grow stronger.

We need them both – Gabumon and Agumon – working close to full strength to get out of here. Otherwise we're all doomed.

As if anticipating my thoughts the walls again shake violently, and the survivors have to cover their heads from the dust that falls. The gaping hole above the blocked entrance widens a little, and little fissures begin sliding across the ceiling. Not good.

"We have to figure out something." Matt frowns as he looks up. "The survivors are getting restless and the ceiling could collapse at any moment."

My eyes furrow. "If only we had a..."

And then it comes to me!

Matt blinks. "What?"

"A drill."

We both look at each other.

And then we look at Gabumon.

"Why is everyone looking at me f…No. Nononono…."

"Gabumon that horn on your head has rivets."

"No it doesn't." He lies.

"Don't you have an attack in your arsenal that allows you to drill?"

"No I don't." He lies.

"I could have sworn you did."

"Uh-uh." He lies.

Matt sighs the way an older brother does when a younger sibling tries to get out of something. I know it well. "Gabumon…"

"Maaaatt!"

"You know you can break through that rock. Your Blue Blaster doesn't break through walls and Agumon doesn't have the cardio to bust through without completely exhausting himself."

"Hey!"

"No offence."

Gabumon pouts. "But every time I do it my head starts to hurt and I get dizzy. And the gravel will get all over my fur coat."

I roll my eyes. "As much dirt as your fur has now?"

This of course makes the self-conscious lizard-dog start whimpering and elicits a glare from his partner. "Tai."

"Sorry."

"Ah c'mon Gabumon," Agumon slides a clawed arm around his friends shoulders. "What's the big deal?"

"_You_ spin around and run into a wall head first. _Your_ skull is hard enough!"

Agumon laughs. "Gabumon, Gabumon, Gabumon… I thought you were a real Digimon buddy. I didn't know you were such a chicken!"

"I'm not…"

"_Bawk."_

"Agumon, I hardly think that…"

"_Bawk! Bawk!"_

"I am not a…

"_Bawk, bwakbakbawkbaaa!"_

Gabumon rolls his eyes as Agumon dances about like a chicken. "Fine! If Matt wants me to. I will use _Drill Horn_."

Matt blinks. "I mean… If you're up to it."

"What's going on?" Asks one of the women. Tally… I think.

"We're about to bust out of here," I tell her with a smile. She nods and, with the others backs away from the wall as far as she can go.

Gabumon nods, resigned to his fate. He shoots me a look that could freeze though. "There had better be a whole bag of chocolates when we get back."

"Promise." I cross my heart.

"The real kind," he growls. "With the wrappers and everything."

By real, of course he means that gourmet kind he likes. Wonderful. "Got it."

"And a saucer of chocolate milk."

"Gabumon…"

Gabumon clears his throat and avoids Matt's frown, but shoots me a look that says 'I'm serious about the milk.' It's on my list. He'll deserve all the sweets he wants after today. They both will.

Man, my wallet is going to hurt so bad…

"Alright," Gabumon announces to the room. "Everyone please stand back."

There's a murmur from the eight scantily clad humans, who shuffle their way behind us. Gabumon trots a little ahead. He takes a final deep breath, closes his eyes, and then rushes forward as fast as his legs can take him.

"_**Drill Horn!"**_

The next thing I know the body of Gabumon is up in the air, spinning like a sidewinding tornado making an incredibly fast beeline for the damaged wall. It's hard to describe what he becomes as anything less than a blue of white and blue, with a tip of gold targeting a stone wall. He connects horn first, rock and debris flying this way and that as his momentum tears through the ancient wall. I shield my eyes as the dust picks up, sweeping into the room and blocking our sight for several seconds.

When the dust settles, we all look up at his handiwork. The hole Gabumon made in the wall isn't a large one, a little less than two meters wide in diameter. But it'll have to do. Matt makes his way towards the wall. I follow after him. We both peak into the hole, my view obstructed with a dyed blond mop in front of me. I see well enough to know that Gabumon hasn't stopped spinning.

"Gabumon… Gabumon you're through!" Matt calls out to him.

On cue Gabumon begins decelerating. I can't see much from my perch behind Matt's shoulders, but it's very clear that _Drill Horn_ has rattled our Digimon friends brain a little, as his eyes loop about in little brown circles as he tries, in vain, to keep steady. After giving a little yelp Gabumon topples over, disappearing completely from my vantage point.

"Gabumon, are you alright?" Matt asks to his partner.

From the other side we hear a faint murmur. "W-why no S-Sora I don't k-know where that box of chocolates went…"

"Gabumon!"

With a jolt I see him sit up: horn first, then ears, then sheepish brown eyes gazing from the other side. "Eh? S-sorry?"

Matt frowns. "…Have you been sneaking snacks at Sora's again?"

"…No." He lies.

Matt sighs. "Never mind. Is the coast clear?"

Gabumon looks both ways. "I don't see anything… or hear anything coming for that matter. I think it's clear. What do you want me to do?"

"Just stay there and keep an eye out," I tell him. "We're coming through."

I give Matt a look. "Ladies first."

He rolls his eyes and I grin. With a huff he lifts himself into the hole and starts crawling towards his partner. So long as he's close by at least we'll have a line of defense for the rest of us. I turn to the survivors, tucking my arm close to my chest. "Who's next?"

It takes a few more minutes for all of us to crawl through the escape Gabumon made. A little longer for some than others – the bald European complains immensely and his blonde compatriot mocks him about some failed diet. Eventually however, the entire party manages to make their escape to the other side of the hidden lab in one piece, a little dirtier and grumpier, but very much safe and ready to move. Which is good. Because the way this place is starting to rumble, I don't think we have much more time.

"Alright old man, recognize anything."

Kurata frowns, looking from one side to another. "We're in the… southern corridor. So up is… This way."

"After you." I extend a hand. He laughs a little and takes point, a snide little smirk on his face.

I really want to wipe that smirk off with a good solid kick to the mush.

"Hey."

Thoughts of violence disappear as I feel a hand on my shoulder. My ears recognize the concerned voice as Matts. "Hmn?"

"Are you really okay?"

_No. _

"I'm fine." I tell him. "As good as it's gonna get anyway."

He frowns a little. I don't think he believes me. Not really. But he sighs and – if he doesn't believe me - pretends right along with me. "Good… I was worried."

I raise an eyebrow in jest. "Aww. You do care."

He glares and pouts his pale lips. "…Shut up."

I flash a smile. It's weak as hell, and a little disingenuous. And I think we both know it. But Matt doesn't say anything. No, he just tightens his lips and moves forwards after the groups without another word.

_Say something Tai. You have to._

"Matt!"

He blinks and turns.

_Say something._

_C'mon._

_Say something!_

"Hey… I… I'm really am sorry."

His eyes focus like daggers. "About?"

_Say it!_

"…About…

_Say it!_

"You know…"

_Coward._

He stares at me for a long time. And then he takes a deep breath.

"…Water under a bridge. We've both been punished enough today."

I feel a little better when he says that, but not much.

"Thanks," I say begrudgingly.

He shrugs. "C'mon…"

He gets going. And after a while, I fall right behind him. I should tell him. Tell him that seeing Rei woke up some long forgotten feeling I'd been keeping buried for his sake. For _their_ sake. That every feeling, every insinuation he suggested on this journey about me and her… about what I felt for her… were true. I should tell him that this is an eye opener for me. That I'm living in a rose tinted past because I'm too scared and too impatient and too stupid to do otherwise. I should tell him that when Rei was falling, I was thinking of someone else.

But I can't. I can't even form the words together in my head. All I can do is give him some weak apology and look sheepishly at the ground. Some Digidestined of Courage I am huh?

One day, me and Matt are really going to have it out about this. About us. About the Elephant in the room.

Right now though, we need to stay alive.

We get moving at a good pace, power walking our way through the dark maze as fast as humanly/digitally possible. Every now and again we stop when we hear something, or when the shakes – which are coming closer and closer together – get too bad. We're at it for quite some time, and a part of me starts to get worried.

"How much further?"

Kurata sniffs. "The maze is a complicated design Digidestined. It will take some…. _Achoo_!"

"Backing away." Agumon growls. I don't think he's buying Kuratas' allergies. I know I'm not.

"Sorry," he says. "We're going in the right direction. It will just take some time to navigate."

There's a slight tremor as he says this. Some dust falls from the ceiling. We're all a little quieter once it lets up. "We may not have time," suggests that 'Gure guy. "The Pyramids structure seems to be caving in."

"That's not our only problem."

I look to where the Riley lady is pointing. In the darkness I see dots of red.

Matt beats me to it. "Start running."

"What is it?" The little girl looks up at him.

"Never mind," Matt orders. "Start running, we'll cover you!"

"Kurata, take point," I add. "Head for the exit. And whatever you do, don't look back."

"B-but what about-"

"Go!"

Kurata yelps and, without another word, starts running. The others follow suit, their bodies exhausted but their spirits unwilling to die just yet. The red dots move closer, so that the silhouettes of the spider machines can be seen in the dim light. Our partners step in front of us as soon as they are in range. Wordlessly, we give the order, and our Digimon open their mouths.

"_**Pepper Breath!"**_

"_**Blue Blaster!" **_

A stream of red and blue flame launches towards the approaching Gizmon. Their combined firepower washes over the oncoming swarm, dousing them in flame. There are terrible shrieks, and the light that it produces is haunting and terrible. Our partners keep up the pressure until the way is blocked by fire and dying Gizmon. And then we turn tail.

The first wave has been handled, but even now I hear more coming.

We catch up to the party pretty quickly – the advantage of having shoes. They're moving as fast as they can, but it's clear that if we don't get out of here and soon we're going to be in serious trouble.

"Keep moving!" I shout ahead to them. I get grumbles in response, but they do as they're told, picking up the pace as best they can and holding desperately onto their robes. There's a tremor below us, but we keep running. I hear the screeches of gears behind us, but we keep running. There's no alternative. We have to make it out of here.

"I think we lost them!" Agumon shouts aloud.

"Great! Just a little further!" Kurata announces as we turn the corner, and a boost of adrenaline fills my veins. We're going to do it. We're going to make it out of here.

Then there's a scream from one of the girls, and in the darkness before us all I see are red dots.

"Get behind us!" I shout, forcing my way past Kurata with Agumon and taking a protective stance. Matt does the same beside us. Not that this is going to do much good.

I'm not sure where this group of Gizmon came from, but they fill the hallway before us like a sea of metal and wiring. There's a hissing noise. Cackles of tiny machinery clicking as the dots stare at us. It has the survivors rattled. Hell, why lie? It has me rattled too.

"Hurry up! Get behind us!" I say again, stronger this time. Desperate to put on a face of bravery despite the circumstances. I don't think it works.

"We're trapped! We're gonna die down here!" Kurata whimpers.

Matt shoots him a dirty look. "Shut up."

He does, but the look of fear remains; on all their faces now. Our group huddles together as the Gizmon in front of us step closer to our light. Agumon is in front of me now, growling through clenched teeth. If they start firing he won't be able to block me, but I know him. He'll try anyway. He may get through a quarter of their number before they downed him… and me. I know Gabumon would do the same for Matt. And we'd do the same for them.

But it's not necessary. There's no escape now. There are too many in front of us, and too many behind. There's nowhere to run anymore. The humans we've tried to save have given up, I can sense it. The little girl holds to her brother, the aging science guys are clutching their hearts. The blonde and his lady-friend hold each other tight. They've accepted their end.

I clench my fists. All the adventures I've had, the battles I've waged… and this is how I'm supposed to go? At the hand of some man made pseudo-Digimon with a hatred for white robes? Yeah right. I haven't come this far to give up now. I glare in defiance at the Gizmon, daring them to try something. Daring them to make _her_ death mean nothing. They're red eyes glare back at me, pulsing brighter and brighter.

And then they stop altogether.

I blink. The glowing red in their eyes begins to die down instead, becoming a faint light in a dark corridor. I frown and hazard a glance over my shoulder. I can't see too well, but it appears that the Gizmon behind us are doing the same.

The balding old man asks the question for all of us. "W-what is happening? Why'd they stop?"

I can't answer. I'm too busy staring in wonder. The Gizmon before us twitter awkwardly. From their number, three crawl forward, their red eyes extended from their metallic shells and peering up at me.

And then they start to glow.

I shield my eyes, but I don't look away. Parts shift, merge, splice in midair as the data within these three Gizmon shift into something new. It's my height in the end, though its purple body is oblong and contorted. It looks almost like a broken beaded necklace; purple shells connected by strings of black wire tightly wound within its frame. It's single red eye meets mine, glaring with heated gaze at me.

I stand my ground, and show no fear. If I'm gonna die here the least I can do is stare at the face of my killer.

But it doesn't fire. It just floats there. Glaring at me. Or at least I think it's glaring. It's almost like it's trying to figure out what to make of me, like it doesn't understand what I am.

And then I realize that it isn't trying to hurt me at all.

Matt is getting worried. "Tai, why are you just standing there, it's gonna –"

"I'm fine," I tell him. "I… I don't think they're going to hurt us."

He looks at me strangely. "Tai?"

"What do you mean?" Gabumon asks.

I shake my head. "I don't know. I mean… It's like something's fighting to keep them from killing us outright."

Agumon tilts his head to the side. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe something's… you know. Controlling them."

Matt glares. "Tai we're the only ones left."

I turn and face him. His icy glare tells me all I need to know. He knows what I'm thinking… what I'm hoping this is. And he doesn't like it one bit. I try to say something, when a sound catches us all off guard.

"DaaahhDeeDeee."

I blink.

The merged Gizmon bobs its head once before uttering the sound again. Three simple notes that strike a strange chord in my head. The noise is too distinct to be just a guttural sound made by a brainless mech. It's specific in nature, a sound that should be recognizable.

"What?" I ask it. "What is it?"

It tilts its head – as if it doesn't understand. And then it tries again. Slower this time.

"_Daaah-Dee-Deee"_

"W-what's it doing," asks the old white guy.

I shake my head. "It's… talking."

Or at least trying to. As if understanding that its abilities are limited in that department the new Gizmon tilts its domed head and slows its sounds down.

"_D-D-D"_

"C'mon." I ask it.

"_D-T-T"_

"…"

"_T-T-TAAAaaa."_

My blood runs cold. "Matt?"

He doesn't answer. He looks like he's seen a ghost.

"_TaaaaEEEEE"_

"…"

"_TaaaEEEtttchEEEE"_

My eyes are wide. I turn my head swiftly to my XO, whose jaws are clenched shut. "Did… Did you hear that?"

"…"

"You didn't?"

He looks away from me. "I don't know."

I stare at him, mouth open. I don't… I don't know what else to do. I… It's… _She's_…

"…Tai?"

Matt. He's watching me. Waiting for me to do something. So is the Gizmon; the army behind it chattering endlessly while watching with glowing red eyes. Another rumble sends sand raining into my eyes and I have to squint to focus. The robot before me doesn't have that problem. Even as the pyramids structure crumbles it waits for me. I take a deep breath.

I take a step forward.

"Wait!" Matt calls out to me. I ignore him and take another step. The robot moves backwards, until it floats before its horde of Gizmon brethren. And then it dissolves back into two faceless spiders. My expression hardens, but I take another step. It's all I can do now. My right foot plants ahead of me and the spiders in my direct path… shift away.

My eyes widen and I freeze. The Gizmon freeze with me. No one moves for another second or two, before I plant my left foot. They shift again, some clinging to the wall, others piling on top of one another. Either way, they're clearing a path I can walk through. There's a gasp from the crowd.

"T-they're parting for you." Someone says.

I swallow spit. "Everybody, stay close."

Our party takes slow, delicate steps through the corridor of jabbering Gizmon, their red eyes squarely focused on us. But they aren't attacking. They are literally moving out of our way… Out of _my_ way.

"They're everywhere." The middle aged Japanese guy notes curiously.

"Keep moving," I tell him, "and don't look back."

He does of course. I can hear his gasp when he sees what's behind us. I keep pressing forward, knowing full well that each Gizmon we pass is gathered behind us. Building a wall. We're only meters in when I hear it.

Laser fire.

"Keep moving," I order. They comply, and we all pep up our step to make some distance. Behind us, our pursuers have met with our saviors. The Gizmon are at war. I can hear their shrieks and the sound of data bursting, and I know that…whoever it is that has saved us is losing control to their madness.

It may not matter much longer though. Up ahead I can see a familiar incline, and I know we're close to the end.

"DaaahhhEEEE"

I frown and turn my head. The merged Gizmon – I can't hope that it's anything more than that – has caught up to me and Agumon, its red eye flashing in the dark.

"What?"

It bobs once. "DRRRR-DEEEEE"

I blink. "What is it?"

"Dirty?" Suggests Agumon.

The Gizmon shakes its purple head franticly. "Deeerrrr-Reeee."

"Dury?" Mitsuo raises an eyebrow. "Does it mean burly? Whirly?"

The merged Gizmon shakes its head slowly.

"D-UUUUUrryy."

Matt's frown deepens. "Hurry."

"Huh?"

The robot nods. "D-UUUUUrryy!"

I feel my blood rush cold. I look behind us. The corridor is collapsing, its destruction racing closer and closer, and I know we only have minutes before the entire tunnel is gone.

"Run!" I order.

And we do. We run like the wind.

Gizmon whir past me as I keep my eyes forward. I clutch my arm to my chest, ignoring the pain. Agumon huffs beside me. In just a few moments he and I are going to be outside, putting the rest of this God awful day behind us.

"Keep going!"

The vibrations are getting stronger. I almost feel like the entire pyramid is alive, shaking this way and that, attempting to awaken. With difficulty I make my way up the incline, joined by Agumon, Gabumon, Matt and the survivors. The door is

Kurata glares at him. "What are you doing, you don't know the-"

Matt presses eight buttons. The little key pad pings green, and I hear the rumble of several rusted gears as the doors begin to open. Kurata blinks in surprise.

"-Password?"

I roll my eyes. "No kidding."

Matt ignores us both. "Out the door!"

One by one the survivors rush through the door and out into the open air. I hazard one final look back before turning and leaping out the door. But the image I see is burned in my memory even as my digital lungs breathe in the outside air for the first time in hours.

The merged Gizmon was staring at me. Through the smoke and rage and death around it. The thought sends shivers up my spine.

I'm not three meters out of the door when I feel a force push me hard, and I feel chunks of rock and debris slam into my back. I'm thrown off my feet by the explosion, a stream of smoke from the collapsed corridor surrounding me in midair. A few more seconds and I would have been inside that collapsed corridor.

My body goes tumbling down the hill and landing in a heap at the bottom of the dunes. Agumon is by me in an instant, followed by Matt and Gabumon. Together we look behind us. The entrance to the ruins rumbles and moans, and then finally sinks into the ground, shooting dust into the early morning air.

And then it's quiet. Deathly quiet.

I look around us. The area is a complete wasteland. If the deserts of Server weren't depressing before, now there are giant gaps in the ground, dead and dying cables jutting from the sand, and smoke rising from the ruins we barely escaped from. The world around us, for lack of a better term… is dead.

But we're not.

"We made it." I say with haggard breath.

Matt can only nod. "You're right."

I sit up in the sand, sitting my arm in my lap and looking at the gash. It's been jerked around a lot today. I'm lucky I haven't been infected by a virus. I sigh and look back towards the ruins. Back towards where I left her.

"Tai?"

Ever observant, Matt keeps his steel blue eyes glued to me. I sigh, leaning up and clutching my aching arm. "I could have sworn Matt. I really could have sworn it was…"

He frowns. "…I know."

Agumon nuzzles me in concern, and I lean into my buddy and close my eyes for a minute. Today has sucked. I'm not going to deny it. But it's almost over. I swear it's almost over.

"Hey! Are we just going to stand out here in the sand? It's very cold out here."

Mitsuo. Great. I feel a headache coming on. "Could you give it a rest already?"

I hear him humph behind us. "Look, we don't have all day. Those things could be borrowing under the sand and your weak little monsters can't possibly take on –"

"Oh you have complained all day mister!" Matt shouts, rising to his feet with fists clenched.

"Ack! Matt, don't do anything rash!" Gabumon hobbles after his partner.

"Mitsuo!"

"S-stay away from me!"

"Mitsuo stop egging them on!"

"Keep away! Keep-"

There is a deep moan that echoes across the desert. It stands all of us at attention.

"…That… didn't sound good." Agumon notes.

No one moves for the longest. Our eyes shift around the horizon, from the craters in the earth to the dim morning light. We see nothing but the beaten land and the dying wires as they shift beneath the…

_Wait._

"The wires!" I point.

They all look in my direction. The wires around us begin to slither back into the earth disappearing from our view. They aren't being destroyed. At least I don't think so. It looks instead like they're being recalled by some force. And that idea worries me.

"Don't touch anything!" Matt orders.

"What is happening?" The Tally lady asks.

I don't get a chance to answer. Without warning the earth beneath me rises in a slant, and I lose my footing, tumbling again down the side of the shifting sand. This time I'm not alone, our whole party rolls downwards, many screaming, as the sand beneath us is ripped away. We fall hard at the base of this new feature in the land, and it takes us a few seconds to regroup ourselves.

I struggle to my knees, shaking sand from my hair and pulling my injured arm closer to my chest. I look around to see that everyone is shaken, but still alive, and there are no major injuries that I can see. It is at that point however that I realize we've been bathed in something's shadow.

I look up, and my jaw drops. Something monstrous has risen out of the sand. I don't know what it is, and frankly I don't care. I know what has to be done though.

"Nene, right?" I speak up to the little girl as I try to stand.

The girl nods from her position on the ground. "Yes…"

"I need you to take these researchers as far away from here as you can."

She blinks and struggles to stand. "Where?"

I nod in the direction I remember us coming from. "There's a camp not far in that direction. Take them there and wait for us."

"B-but what about you?"

"We're gonna be needed here." Matt speaks up as he lifts himself off the ground. He checks on his partner before looking up at what has sprung from the earth. I can tell he's gearing up for the end as well. "Alright?"

She looks like she wants to argue for a moment. And then she follows our gaze and her mouth drops open. "Y-yes."

"Atta girl."

She takes a moment more to stare and then, gathering herself, turns back to address the rest of the survivors. "…Alright. Everyone, please come with us."

Mitsuo looks incredulous. "Y-You can't be serious! She's just a child!"

"She's a tamer," Matt says. "You'll be fine."

The skittish old man wrings his hands. "W-w-we'll die out here without you!"

"Aren't you supposed to protect us!" Mitsuo shouts.

"Hey! Douchebag!" Matt yells back.

"Eh?"

"Look up."

He looks up. He sees what we've now seen. And his skin pales. "Holy…"

The entire pyramid… filled with black wires.

It's maybe the size of a small house, a strange mech of varying colors that has risen from the sand. Two large arms dangle from tightly wound chords, while its light purple body swivels around its pyramidal frame. Its back holds giant barb like wings, the tips of each hold what appear to be monstrous variations on the same capsules we'd freed the humans from. Lines of wire stretch from its base back into the ground, holding it upright. This headless think stretches, its three fingered arms flexing in the morning. It's massive. It's awe inspiring. It's terrifying.

It's a body without a brain.

Mitsuo shudders, understanding immediately what must happen. What we've got to deal with. Doesn't hurt to say it aloud though.

"You really wanna be out here for this?" I ask. I try not to smirk.

He shakes his blond head and joins his girlfriend and the rest of the survivors. The girl, Nene, herds them together with the help of her kid brother. Away from us. Away from this final battle.

"Don't worry," she says before she rushes up the dunes. "We know how to hide. Right Yuu?"

The boy says nothing, but he does nod a little. That's something.

The group starts high tailing it up the dunes, towards the MAGAMI encampment and, hopefully, safety. Standard protocol would have been to follow after them to make sure they're safe. But this thing is anything but standard. This is the physical embodiment of this entire nightmare. The Dark Network incarnate. One last ploy by Datamon at immortality.

I sigh and turn to Matt. "You think Davis and Ken will get here in time?"

He shakes his head. "Not really."

"So we're giving the survivors time to make it to safety?" Gabumon asks.

I nod. "That's the plan."

Matt bites his lip. "We go in…"

"Together." I remind him.

He nods. "There may be no coming out."

Agumon grunts in disdain. "Oi, don't say that!"

I stretch my bad arm. "We've faced worse before."

Matt gives me a skeptical look. "Have we?"

"Yeah." My partner is already grinning. "And we whooped their Digi-butts!"

I smile. "You got that right Agumon."

"Gabumon?" Matt asks.

The dog-lizard doesn't smile, but he stands ready just the same. "I'm with you till the end my friend."

I take a deep breath. "Alright."

The wind is picking up again. There are little specks of sand bouncing off my skin. I ignore it. So does Matt. We all do. Standing before us is some ungodly thing – not quite a Digimon… not quite anything more than one more threat we have to put a stop to today. Its body floats ominously, tendrils of black lines swaying like broken fingers on an armored hand. A body without a mind. The last remnant of the most annoying bucket of bolts I ever laid eyes on.

One last hurdle to jump for two Japanese guys with a weekend to kill.

Matt laughs bitterly. "Think Datamon may get the last laugh after all?"

I smile. "Heh… Not on your life."

The giant robotic nightmare lurches in the air, its unworldly moan echoing across the desert sands. The screen above shines yellow in the morning sun, an LED smile cracking across its damaged glass. This will not be easy. But hey, when have we ever had it easy? Agumon said it best. We've faced worse before. We've come out on top. Nothings gonna change that. And even if this thing manages to beat us _here_, we're still not going to give up. We're the Digidestined.

And we're not going down without a fight.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**21**

**Digimon**


	22. Chapter 22

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 22

* * *

We're not going down without a fight.

But it'll be a tough one; that much is certain. The thing is huge – a monster in the truest sense. Formed of black wires and broken steel and the arrogance of people who thought they could control this world. Its body is angular, like the pyramid it sprouted from. Ovular pods stand propped up from cables and struts on its back. Connected at the top are two giant structures one can only call its 'arms', with three 'fingers' built of metal and wire hanging on each. At the very top, a single angular 'head' swivels in search of us – smaller than the rest of it, but no less prominent.

"What do you think it is?" Tai asks through gritted teeth.

I shake my head. "Don't know. An advanced AI? A defense system?"

"Bah!" Agumon snorts. "It's just one more big dumb computer we need to break."

"Regardless of what it is, it will be a difficult fight." Gabumon turns to me. "What should we do?"

I frown. "If nothing else we have to buy time for the survivors to at least make it back to their camp. That's priority one."

"Agreed. So," Tai gives a defiant smirk, "let's give this thing something to shoot at!"

I take a deep breath. I don't know what this thing is. I don't care. All I know is that this thing wants to destroy me… destroy us. I'm not letting that happen.

I take my digivice in hand, and I pray Gabumon has the strength for what comes next.

I feel the instant kick come through again as my strength pours into the device I was granted by the guardians of this world. It flows into my partner, encasing him in a glowing egg that surrounds him. Within the egg I see I know Agumon is going through the same process.

**"Agumon!"**

**"Gabumon!"**

**"Digivolve to…."**

Within the egg of light I can see Gabumon shifting and changing. Growing in shape and size. Beside him, I can already make out a horned skull rising through the egg. The eggs shatter simultaneously, excess data bursting apart around us, revealing their champion forms.

**"Greymon!"**

**"Garurumon!"**

They barely have time to announce themselves before a tendril of blackness whips down towards them from the monsters 'fingertip'. Both dragon and wolf split in an instant, and the wire does little more than kick up more dust and debris into the air. I grab Tai by the shirt and we hustle farther back, trying to stay out of the way of our partners attempt to distract this thing from the rest of the digiworld.

My hope is that, if they weren't aware before, that our friends have begun noticing that this isn't an ordinary attack. That something serious is happening in our home away from home. Even if they do however I know it will take some time to reach us. I can only pray we can hold out till then.

We settle in at the top of a hill a few meters out. Our partners are giving this thing all they have. Greymon lobs balls of flame towards the creatures' midsection, while Garurumon tries to lock the wires on ice. As they do this, the monster is swiping at them with its massive arms, sending tendrils out like spears and raising clouds of dust into the morning air upon impact. Our partners are lucky they haven't already been hit.

"Stupid little… fight like a 'mon!" I can hear Greymon roar after another of his _Nova Blast_ shots is deflected.

"He's blocking everything we're giving him." Garurumon calls over his massive shoulder, narrowly escaping the metallic fist of this strange mechanized demon.

"They're getting hammered!" I tell Tai through clenched teeth.

"No use holding back our punches then." Tai frowns. "Greymon, full power!"

The dinosaur bats away a wire with a paw and nods his armored head in agreement. "You got it!"

"You think he has the strength?" I ask

Tai nods sternly. "He'll have to."

That isn't reassuring. Nervously I call to my partner. "Garurumon?"

He howls against the morning air, ducking under a wire swinging for his life. "I understand!"

Energy tugs from inside me and charges into my digivice, and once again I feel it rumble against my waist. The taint of blue crosses my eyes as both our partners begin to change further.

**"Greymon!"**

**"Garurumon!"**

As they are encased in eggs I force my eyes skywards, towards the monstrous amalgamation of death. It moans from the stress of its weight, cackling sounds from wires snapping and reforming bouncing around the desert. Despite the blue tint that has altered my sight for the moment I can tell that this monster recognizes what's happening to my partner. That has me worried.

"Guys!" I shout a warning. But I don't know if they can even hear me under the data surging around them anymore.

** "Digivolve to…"**

The monster brings a fist crashing towards them at dangerous speeds. But it's too late. Their eggs hatch at the same time, bright lights dissipating as their excess data evaporates into nothingness. The force from their evolution sends a shockwave up towards the monsters fist, forcing it away from them. That was a close call.

"**Metal Greymon!"**

**"WereGarurumon!"**

They stand there in the desert morning like ancient heroes of legend, and without thinking I let myself hope that we'll make it out of this alive.

WereGarurumon hasn't changed since yesterday, my bipedal wolf still itching for a fight. It's been a while since I've seen Tai's partner like this though. MetalGreymon is similar in look to his previous form, though he's now heavily armored in a near indestructible alloy called digi-chrome. His left arm has been replaced by a massive robotic prosthetic, shinning in the morning sun. From his back sprouts a pair of tattered leathery wings, large enough to give the great monster flight in time of need. He takes his place before us, ready for battle.

"Target locked." I hear him say.

MetalGreymon lowers his arms, and two panels hidden beneath his chest armor open to reveal a pair of silos. With a snarl, MetalGreymon adjusts his angle, before screaming out a war cry at the top of his digital lungs.

**_"Giga Blaster!"_**

From within him, a set of shark shaped semi-organic missiles shoot forth, barreling at the monster in front of us at break neck speeds. But they don't even come close. Faster than you might expect, the monster fires out wires with pinpoint accuracy at our attempts at attacks. MetalGreymon's Giga Blasters are knocked away, exploding harmlessly just abouve the monsters giant hand.

"Darn wires are everywhere. I can't get a clean shot!" MetalGreymon roars back.

Before Tai can shout out instructions, the giant robot launches his fist at the ground MetalGreymon stands on. The dragon sees it coming, and launches himself backwards, flapping his tattered wings to increase his speed. But it's no use. The fist collides against the ground with such force that it knocks MetalGreymon out of the air before he even truly got anywhere.

"MetalGreymon!" Tai shouts.

The Dragon groans rolling across the sand. The mech's second arm shoots out spear-like-wires at blinding speed before he can even regain his clawed feet beneath him.

**_"Wolf Claw!"_**

Six lines of sizzling energy cross up through the air in a flash, slicing through the oncoming wire storm like a knife through butter. WereGarurumon hops in front of the rising MetalGreymon, his dark eyes focused on the enemy, but his mouth already running.

"I knew you were putting on weight you big dumb lizard, but getting hit by a giant fist?!"

"You're just… mad it… doesn't consider you a threat furball!" MetalGreymon snarls back.

"Less taunting, more fighting," I shout to them both.

WereGarurumon gives me a grunt and focuses back onto the battle. He preps quickly before launching himself into the air, the claws on his feet shimmering with a dark force. **_"Crescent Moon Kick!"_**

An arch of blue electricity races up to meet the metal wires bearing down on them. The attack does its job in neutralizing the enemies attack for the most part. A few stragglers manage to sneak past though, racing through the air towards our friends.

**_"Wolf Claw!"_**

"Try not to be such a slob next time at the dinner table huh!?"

Smoke pours from MetalGreymon's nostrils. "Come over here and say that."

"Guys!?"

"Sorry!" WereGarurumon grunts.

Tai shakes his head and shouts out orders. "MetalGreymon, back up a bit. Get room between you and the target."

"Any idea what I should be aiming for?"

"Target the head. I'm guessing that's where all its processing power is coming from!"

"You got it."

"WereGarurumon, our best shot is with MetalGreymons missiles," I supply. "Protect him at all cost."

"Roger. Hurry it up fat-ass!"

MetalGreymon snarls but complies. Rising from his haunches, he unfurls tattered wings and launches himself several meters backwards, extending the distance between he and our enemy. I lead Tai across the sand to a better vantage of the battle, the twinge of blue making the ruined desert a beautiful shade of sapphire as the digital sun rises. Ahead, WereGarurumon continues to fight off several wires on his own, his claws tearing through the remnant of the dark network like nobody's business.

But still they come. The creature above us is persistent if nothing else. WereGarurumon would be overwhelmed if we needed more time. Thankfully we don't.

"Target acquired!"

Tai grits his teeth. "Fire!"

**_"Giga Blaster!"_**

Twin shark faced missiles burst from out of MetalGreymons armored chest, their high pitched screech whistling over the desert sands as they make a beeline for the remnant of Datamon. The explosion that follows shifts the sands of the desert, and blinds us for a moment. The roar is almost deafening, but I can still hear Tai's elated cheer.

"Direct hit!"

I frown, not so sure. The dust settles after a moment and confirms my worst fears. The monster remains, its posture undaunted by our feeble attempts to flatten it. Through the smoke shoot more wires, and our digimon partners have to leap quickly out of the way to avoid the attack.

"Nothing!" I growl.

Tai shakes his head. "What's wrong MetalGreymon?"

"That armors chrome-digizoid," MetalGreymon grunts in between fireballs. "I'd need multiple hits to even dent it!"

Tai nods dourly. "Then we'll have to break through it somehow. MetalGreymon, can you find a target?"

"Not underneath that armor."

"WereGarurmon…"

He lands on all fours, dark eyes twinkling in the heat of battle. "Hnn…No problem!"

He quickly positions himself in front of Tai's dragon, ruby red claws starting to shine as the sun keeps rising. As if it knows our plan, the thing before us shoots out line after line of wires towards them. WereGarurumon however, sees them coming. We're ready this time.

**_"Wolfclaw!"_**

The air around WereGarurumon's nails simmers with intense energy that spreads between he and the oncoming cables. The lines of raw power slice through the giant mechs attack with ease. WereGarurumon's head snaps back at MetalGreymon. "Give me a lift!"

The dragon nods and aims.**_ "Giga Blaster!"_**

MetalGreymons chest rockets launch at full speed for their target. WereGarurumon takes a running leap and hurtles himself through the air, his blood red claws piercing through the organic missile. It spins a little with his weight, bearing it off its targeted course, but WereGarurumon is looking for speed, not aim.

Tentacles again sweep out to meet the attack head on, knocking the first missile harmlessly away from the monster. Just before the tentacle reaches him however, WereGarurumon leaps off the doomed missile, arms extended, sailing through the air towards our foe. He lands hard against the makeshift chest, his claws the only thing keeping him from dropping to the ground. Before a pair of tentacles shoot out towards him they are forced to veer off from another barrage from MetalGreymon's war-chest. At least we know our foe can't multi-task.

With a snarl I see WereGarurumon hike his way up the giant monster towards the target – the angular helmet that may hold the key to victory. It's out best hope right now. Upon reaching his destination, WereGarurumon lifts both paws, his eyes dark and dangerous.

**_"Shadow Claw!"_**

Both fists find themselves tearing viciously through digi-chrome, stone, and steel ripping through the face of the last vestige of Datamon. It howls as shards of its body are flung towards the desert floor. It brings a metal fist to beat at its skull, but WereGarurumon is so small and so fast in comparison that it strikes only itself. And then he returns, working quickly to expose a glint of red, until the armor is peeled away and all that is left is a multitude of squiggling black wires and a central glowing red eye set in the center for all to see.

And not a second too soon!

The thing sends a second fist to end my partner but he is already gone, racing down the mech's midsection and screaming down to us.

"C'mon! Do it now!" WereGarurumon screams when he lands on all fours.

Tai nods with clenched teeth. "MetalGreymon! Scorch earth!"

He doesn't even get an acknowledgment.

**_"Giga Destroyer!"_**

It's the most powerful attack in MetalGreymon's arsenal. An upgrade to his _Giga Blasters _that I've only ever seen him use once. MetalGreymon opens his jaw wide as his tattered wings spread towards the rising sun. I have to shield my eyes as the pixels around his mouth and chest begin to burst and fluctuate with the heat he's bringing. And then he lets loose with full force, and three lines of pure destruction race upwards from his mouth and chest.

They connect with the force of a nuclear blast.

The force of the blast is blinding, and so I have to shield my eyes from its sheer intensity. I can hear the distant screams of the monster, a high electric whine that almost sounds pitiful under the force of the _Giga Destroyer_. And then in the midst of the blast there is no sound from the monster at all. No sound, save the burning sound of MetalGreymon's rage.

I cough, and instantly regret it; the pain spreading across my lungs like fireworks inside my chest. The dust MetalGreymon has kicked up from his attack has left visibility close to nil. I bring a hand up to my mouth and squint my eyes in search of my leader. He's only a few meters away, shaking the dust from his hair and twisting in the sand looking for me.

"Tai," I call to him. At my voice he turns and nods. I don't think he can really see me, but at least we're together.

"Did we get it?" I hear him whisper into my chest.

That's the question worth a million digi-dollars.

I peer through the clouds of sand, which has only now begun clearing. What I see chills me to the bone.

"N-no way…"

It's still standing.

There's some definite damage, but in the scheme of things it doesn't matter. I stare bewildered as the gaping hole in the side of this monstrous overlord – the one I watched MetalGreymon roast with his most powerful attack – slowly begin to rebuild itself. Little by little, tiny black wires begin squirming about, reaching for each other across the expanse of damages space. The giant robot seems to hum as parts are shifted around to accomidate the 'wound', while the wires continue to expand around it.

"W-what is that thing?"

We don't even have time to figure it out.

**_"Titan Laser."_**

I hear it… in the back of my minds like… like a Digimon's attack echoing despite its mouth never moving. And then it's too late to stop it. Its right hand – and I'm convinced now that that's what this really is – reaches out and fires a blast of energy from within the glass orb in the center. It eats across the sand, sending more dust into the air and leaving behind a trail of glass across the desert floor. WereGarrurumon dodges it, but MetalGreymon is struck with full force. Data spills across the air as MetalGreymon roars in pain.

I hear Tai shout his name, but my focus stays with my partner. The far more agile WereGarurumon manages to dodge the laser fire, flipping through the air before landing with a snarl.

**_"Crescent Moon Kick!"_** WereGarurumon howls, the sound of battle on raging through him.

A sizzling wave of energy from his foot crosses towards the being. A last ditch attack that proves useless against the onslaught of wires. The explosion is small against the robot, and before WereGarurumon can take to the air again the being has lifted its finger again.

**_"Titan Laser."_**

I hear it again, a voice both familiar and distant. Like the automated voice of a computer. Unfeeling. Uncaring. _Un-living_… I stand with mouth agape as the red laser strikes my partner, throwing him in the air. WereGarurumon lands next to MetalGreymon, who's body is bruised and burned. Both can only look up as the red-eyed giant lifts both arms into the air.

_"_**_Fantasmic Bomb"_**

Both WereGarurumon and MetalGreymon attempt to rise, but both are caught in the wall of energy that spreads across the desert. I watch in horror as their data fluctuates in and out of their frames before both lose their ultimate forms altogether. And then I can see nothing, as the sand covers us in darkness.

…

I don't know how long I'm out for. A few seconds? A minute? There's no way to know. I feel a terrible ache in my body and the need to breathe. Weight rests on my body, pressing into my damaged data. It takes me a moment to realize just what's happened to me, the realization nearly sending me into hysterics. I'm buried underneath the sand.

In a panic I press my arms downwards, hoping I can lift my way through. I'm in luck; thankfully there wasn't much sand covering me, and It only takes another moment to completely rise to the surface. I cough, pain still racing through me. But I've managed to survive.

The wind hasn't died down from the blast, and it's still hard to see. I shield my eyes and attempt to look around hoping against hope that I'm not the only survivor. A cold chill races through me at the thought. But then I see it; a body lying face first not three meters beside me. Brown hair just slightly above the sands surface. Not moving.

"Tai!"

I reach for him, scared out of my mind. And then his body adjusts and his face makes its way to the surface. He's worse off than me I think… though he looks the way I feel. His face is cut up from the sand and it looks like he may have a busted nose. But he moves. Thank god he moves. "Nnnn…."

I pull myself from the sand and stumble in his direction, nearly falling again and again from disorientation. But I reach him. "Tai…"

"T-the Digimon?"

I frown, shielding my eyes once again and looking into the abyss for our partners. Ahead I see the golden horn of my partner Gabumon, and a little farther on Agumon's tail buried beneath the sand. It would be comical if we didn't just get our asses kicked.

I lend Tai my shoulder and together we stumble to our friends. Neither is moving, their data not quite settled from… whatever it was that just hit us. For a second I worry that they may slip down to their In-training levels; something that would doom us all for sure. But then Gabumon groans and the little pixels that make up his scales and fur begin to settle. He's hurt bad. But he's still functional.

I look up to the towering colossus who took us out. It's still there, looming in the morning sky like a cruel joke. The pods on its back have spread out now, almost like wings. The angular object that was once the head has been replaced by a hodgepodge of wiring and electronics, including what appears to be the screen from inside the lab. The whole ensemble bundled together horrifies me; for it could not look more like the face of a terrifying metallic baby if it tried.

"What are we going to do?"

I don't answer. I can't. There are no more strategies, no more plans. There's nothing. We… I've lost. The monster before us whines with glee, the sound of moving parts clanking together echoing across the desert. I lower my gaze.

And that's when I see it. Gods above why didn't I see it before?

"T-Tai. Look."

"What?"

I point at the bottom of the monstrosity. There, pulsing beneath the angular base that floats, the wires within the earth throb with energy. Digital energy that appears to be drawn from deep within the planet.

"That thing. It's drawing its strength directly from the Digiworld. That's how it keeps reforming itself. It's literally plugged itself in to the Digiworld!"

"S-so what do we do?" He asks.

"We… ungh… need to uproot it."

"W-with what? Our partners are b-barely hanging in as it is."

There's a groan at our feet, and an exhausted little dinosaur tries to stand. "I can… I can still fight."

"Agumon."

Beside him, my partner rises as well. "It will… t-take more than that to… to…"

"Gabumon."

"T-to beat us!" Gabumon finishes, clutching his fur closer to his skin.

Agumons emerald eyes glare up at us. "We're… We're Digidestined. R-right?"

"Agumon…"

"Right!?" He pleads with us.

I bow my head, and close my eyes. Theres no way we can –

"Right."

I blink and turn to the source of the voice. "Tai?"

He's tense, his eyes glaring ahead. "I'm not going anywhere. No more running."

I shake my head. "Tai, I don't know how much Gabumon has left. I don't think it'll be enough!"

He wheels my way, his eyes a blaze of rage and pain. And something more… "We have each other!" He tells me. "That's enough."

I freeze in his grip. His eyes are steady, even if his body is beaten and his legs quake. I turn to face our digimon. They're both as banged up as we are now. No doubt about it. But there's a fire in their eyes that I couldn't put out if I tried. I find myself grinning, in spite of everything.

There's one last chance we have. A desperate one. A chance that will use up every bit of strength our partners have left. A chance we've never had to use within the digital world. Our last chance.

See, a long time ago we met a _white knight_…

I take a deep breath. "Are you sure?"

He spits. "C'mon Ishida. You wanna live forever?"

"Well yeah." I tell him. "But not if you aren't with me."

He looks at me, like I'm a whole new person. I'm not. I'm the same guy who'll tell an idiot to his face that he's being an idiot, but still willingly follow him into the depths of hell. And then he nods, his look a mix of grim determination and understanding. And I think there's a smile on his lips. "C'mon," he says.

And with that he offers his hand.

I look at him. His face is filled with pain and sorrow. But it's the same face I promised to follow come hell or high water. The face of my friend, my rival. My leader.

"Alright Tai Kamiya." I nod when I reach for his hand. "Let's do it."

Our fingers touch, and something happens. I'm not sure I can describe the feeling really. It's like… getting a charge from static electricity across each and every finger. But instead of pain it's a feeling of reinvigoration. Strength. That's what I feel when I take Tai's hand in mine. His courage is flowing into me. I hazard a glance at his bronze face. He looks ahead of him, but I know what he's feeling – my friendship flowing into him. My blue tinted world seeps with orange for just a moment. And then I look ahead with him.

I barely hear our partners over the whine of my digivice.

**_"Agumon…"_**

**_"Gabumon…"_**

Ahead, the pyramid monster reaches for us, metallic hands preparing to crush us in one final blind act of revenge. But by then I think it's too late. All I see at first is blue and orange…

**_"Warp DNA Digivolve to…"_**

And then, suddenly, our whole world goes white.

**_"OMNIMON!"_**

* * *

**GODFALL**

**22**

**Digimon**


	23. Chapter 23

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 23

* * *

Omnimon.

The omnipotent monster. The all-powerful monster. A near deity.

I stare up at him in awe. I don't remember what he looked like as he merged between our partners. His is the only Digivolution I ever look away from. It's so bright that it's terrifying. All I ever see is the result.

He's a knight in shining armor in the most literal of senses. His armor covers a surprisingly thin body, but one that holds an incredible power. From his neck flows a long white cape, it's inner lineing blood red. His left arm bears a gauntlet that is reminiscent of Greymon, though orange chrome-digizoid instead of flesh and bone – more Greymon's Mega level WarGreymon. His right is Garurumon in a shiny blue/purple shell made of the same metal – MetalGarurumon, glimmering in the morning sun. He is awesome to look at, and fearsome to behold.

It isn't often we see Omnimon – or need him. Most threats can be handled by Greymon or Garurumon, or a team of champions and ultimate's together. But this isn't just some threat. This is a living computer virus capable of shutting down the entire digital world. One that's been unplugged from his brain. If we ever needed a hero now we've got him.

"So, what are you thinking?" I ask, my hand still firmly holding to Matt's.

I feel him look up beside me. "We have to disconnect this thing from the Digiworld. Sever the trunk and the tree dies."

I nod, facing our joint partner. "Alright, you heard him Omnimon! We're counting on you"

Without a sound, our white knight is off, his crimson white cape flowing in the air as he shoots ahead at incredible speed towards our foe. His speed is incredible, and there are few Digimon in existence that can even compare. He races off towards our enemy, a white blur against the golden sands of Server.

"**GAIA Gear!"**

The monster before us shrieks and cackles, black wires shooting towards its prey. Omnimon does not waver, but presses onwards, through the attack. The first wires completely miss him, giving him time to raise his right arm forward. The MetalGarurumon shaped gauntlet opens and extends from its maw a huge black cannon from within Omnimon's arm.

"**Supreme Cannon!"**

The cannon blasts through the attack with ease, balls of blue energy splintering wires this way and that, burning through the monster like nothing before. It's a good hit. The creature moans in pain, firing off even more wires in an attempt to stop us.

"**Transcended Sword!"**

Omnimon's left gauntlet unsheathes a magnificent blade from the mouth of WarGreymon. The digikana engraved on the chrome digizoid weapon shimmers with the morning sun. With a flick of his armored wrist he sends the blade slicing through each of the oncoming wires, sending their data into oblivion.

"Omnimon, you have to cut him off, now!" I hear Matt shout out, and I share the sentiment.

If Omnimon hears us he doesn't show it. He fires his cannon three more times. Two of the beams strike the pyramid abomination in the arms, knocking both them and the wires attached to them back. The final blast rocks the monsters base, knocking it's armor of steel and stone backwards and exposing what we've been looking for.

"He's on the ropes!" Matt shouts out to me.

I nod. "Then let's end this now Omnimon!"

The white knight brings the sword out from his body, his mismatched eyes focusing on his target, a thick braid of wires coiled beneath the monsters base. The creature tries to bring its massive arms down in a desperate bid to protect itself, but it's far too late. With a great swing of his sword, Omnimon slices through the monster.

Everything goes silent for a moment.

And then black wires pour from the monsters midsection and overwhelm Omnimon. He manages to slash away the first two attempts but finds himself quickly wrapped in the darkwires that burst from the midsection of the cancer spreading through the digital world.

"What the hell!?" I shout as I turn to Matt.

"The black wires…" He groans to me, his blue eyes wide with fear. "They're repairing too fast. All the damage we're doing is just being healed before we can stop him."

I grit my teeth and turn back to Omnimon. Our white knight struggles against the wires that confine him, but his efforts appear to be in vain. Both armored arms are far beneath the coils of this GAIA thing, held tight against Omnimon's will. There I a cackling sound from the gut of the monster, and then a sudden bolt of black electricity courses up to our partner, sending a painful shockwave through the armor of Omnimon.

I flinch and turn back to Matt. "We have to do something!"

"I'm thinking!" Matt bites back.

I flinch as another arc of black energy courses through Omnimon, arcing up his body from the wires in torturous fashion. Our monster doesn't scream, but I can feel his pain from our place in the sand dune.

"I've got it!" I hear Matt shout from beside me. I turn to find him fishing through his pockets searching for something.

"What are you doing?"

He pulls out his D-Terminal, the screen glowing faint green with the words VIRUS BUSTER flashing on and off. "Uploading the vaccine to Omnimon!"

I blink. "Will that help?"

He gives me a look. "Let's hope."

We fall in silence. This is our last shot at this. If we fail here it's over. Whatever is keeping Davis and Ken from reaching us will also keep them from saving us. I hold tight to my digivice, lift it high, and say a little prayer. "Let's do it!"

Matt nods and raises his D-Terminal up high. "Right! Upload Vaccine Program V!"

We bring our devices together – his D-Terminal and my digivice, and then Matt presses enter. For a few seconds I wonder if we've made a mistake, for it seems like nothing has changed. And then I feel my own digivice rumble like no tomorrow; feel it burning into my pants and against the skin of my side. And then I look up.

Omnimon begins glowing, at first a faint grey, but soon it brightens into a pure white light that overpowers my eyes. The wires shriek away, steam billowing from those who had gotten too close to Omnimon. Our knight looks as though he is filled with renewed energy, his cape flowing in the desert wind, both his cannon and sword drawn and ready.

The creature moans, and I watch with horror as its giant left palm races from the sky with incredible speed, blotting the sun away from Omnimon. Omnimon doesn't move from his position, instead watching the attack come towards him. For a moment I worry.

For a moment.

In a second Omnimon raises his right arm. The creatures attack connects with the armored muzzle of Omnimon's MetalGarurumon gauntlet, and then suddenly stops in place. Omnimon's strength alone has halted the attack. The creature has only a second to whine in shock before Omnimon looks at his palm with murderous intent.

"**Supreme Cannon!"**

The beam does more than blast through the attack. It breaks apart the very lining that forms the creatures arm, literally ripping through the concrete and black wire; blowing chucks of data this way and that, and leaving nothing but a corrupted stump where the fist once was. The high whine of the remnant of Datamon signals shoots across the desert. And then Omnimon is up again.

"**Transcended Sword!"**

His blade glows red for a moment before becoming white hot, smoke rising from the hilt and leaving a trail in the air as Omnimon speeds upwards. Before the monster has the time to react Omnimon's blade is through the right shoulder, slashing in a downwards arc out and through. I watch in awe as the arm literally falls to the ground , the wires failing to reconnect thanks to the vaccines effect.

All that's left is the monsters base.

I grin and turn to Matt. "You thinking-"

"-What I'm thinking?" He finishes, and we share a grin.

He squeezes my hand, and I feel our powers mixing together once again, flowing through us and into our Digivices, which rumble with the sheer overload of energy.

"Take this-" I shout.

"-Our joint attack!" Matt roars.

Omnimon floats into the air, his arms outstretched, and finishes for us both.

"**Double Torrent!"**

From the armored gauntlets of both WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon bursts forth deep orange and pure blue streams of concentrated fire, coursing towards one another at an amazing speed. The bolts of energy begin spiraling into eachother, their power burning through one final desperate wave of black wires attempting in vain to defeat Omnimon. Within moments the two join together – the burn of WarGreymon's flame and the chill of MetalGarurumon's frost meeting and becoming something more. A white stream is created from their joining, burning a path of holy destruction that heads right for the mindless monster.

It connects with the force of a hurricane.

The wind kicks up once more, and again I shield my eyes. I think I hear the abomination scream over the blast. A shrill, mechanical cry that sends shivers up my spine. But I don't budge, and I don't look away. Neither does Matt. We watch patiently as Omnimon's Double Torrent rends the last vestige of Datamon in two.

It's over. The monster is as good as dead.

Data begins spewing from the gaping hole in its cauterized chest. Omnimon's blast has disemboweled it, piercing through the armor and cutting through to the other side. The lights flicker in its monolithic head. The few wires that remain drop around it, data flying away like black ashes in the wind.

"T….Ah…Eee….Tch….Eee.."

I blink. My lungs stop working. The sound is a moan from the melting fibers of the monster as it begins its slow dissolve into nothingness. I could have sworn it said…

I feel my hand tighten, and turn to Matt. He squeezes again. A small comfort. We stand together and watch as the last vestige of Datamon… the last vestige of Rei… fade into the sun of Server's deserts into nothingness.

It's over. Finally over.

I feel all the stress of the day rush through me at once, and my head starts to spin. I start to fall to one knee, but Matt is there to catch me, to balance me. For that I thank him. We both look up a moment more to Omnimon. The Mega level digimon watches us both: Gabumon's cunning and Agumon's fury burning through his mismatched eyes. Their loyalty to us apparent through this one digital form. I begin to think of all the things we put them through this week. How terrifying a responsibility it is to be a digidestined. How awesome the result.

Omnimon glows again, and the energy from his de-digivolution forms a shell around him. I let go of Matt's hands to shield my eyes as the brightness overtakes the morning sun. There is a popping sound a few seconds later, and Koromon and Tsunomon – our partners in-training forms – begin falling from the sky.

Instinctively I fall to the ground, catching Koromon with my good arm. He's a tiny thing now, the size of a soccer ball, with short white fur and two long rabbit ears and not much else aside from his big eyes and even bigger mouth. It's hard to believe this little ball of fuzz in my arm was once a great dragon.

"D-did we do good Tai?" He asks, his voice the squeak of a little kid.

"Yeah buddy. You did real good…"

"Yeah?" He asks. And then he grins, and I see each and every razor sharp tooth shine white in the sun. "That's _niiiice_…."

The next sound out of his mouth is a snore. Nice and loud. I smile down at the little guy. After all that's happened in the last twenty-four hours he deserves a nice long rest.

I look to my side to find Matt cradling a similarly exhausted Tsunomon. The orange-fured monster's horn faces away from his partners injured chest, the dark black bone reflecting the light of the sun. Matt is smiling, a big relaxed grin. He looks up to me. "How is Koromon?"

I look down at my partner. The round fluff ball with two rabbit ears eyes are closed, and his mouth is wide open, showing me each and every one of his dragon teeth as he snores. "I think he's fallen asleep already," I grin back.

Matt nods. "Good for him."

"Tsunomon?" I ask.

"The same." He answers. "Poor things tuckered out."

"We owe them a lot." I grin.

"Yeah."

It gets quiet for a moment, the desert wind blowing a cool breeze across my face. I settle down with Koromon and yawn, because I can do little else right now. Across from us lies a gaping hole where a pyramid used to be, smoke still billowing from the damage we just caused to the Digiworld. Around us the desert is a patchwork of scorched earth and glass.

"Matt?" I ask.

"Hm?"

"Did we win?"

He turns to me and scoffs. "We're alive aren't we?"

I blink, and then nod. "Hmm…"

I settle into the sand and close my eyes. The sun is fully up now, and the heat is beginning to rise very quickly. But for now I don't feel like shielding myself. I just want the light to wash over me and Koromon, bringing with it rays of healing. I could stay like that forever.

I would. But I can't. There's something else that I have to do.

With a groan I lean up again and clear my throat. It's now or never. "Matt?"

"Mm…"

"The elephant in the room…"

He looks to me, blue eyes flashing in the sun. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Matt doesn't move for a long time, his golden-blonde bangs hiding his eye from me for a moment. His voice is low when he speaks next. "…You've said that before."

"Yeah. I know. But this is for real… The elephant… What I feel for Sora…"

His frown deepens. "Tai, are we really having this talk right now?"

"Nn…Might as well. We've been holding off. Right?"

His expression is hard to read – somewhere between annoyance and pity I take it. But he doesn't harden like I think it will, he simply leans up in the sand and faces me. "…Alright."

I take a deep breath. "I have feelings for your girlfriend."

It feels better to say out loud than it sounds I think, because Mat's eyebrows furrow. "…Okay."

"I thought they'd go away as I got older but they haven't. That's my fault. I haven't been letting go."

"…Okay." He repeats, the same tone as before.

"And so… I'm sorry."

Matt sits quietly, chewing his bottom lip, eyes furrowed. He looks up at me and sighs. "…I've known for a while."

"Yeah?"

He nods. "Kinda obvious Tai. You're not much for subtleties."

I laugh in spite of myself. "So I've been told."

Matt doesn't laugh with me, instead glaring into the sand between us. "I don't like it," he tells me. "I don't like it at all. _I get it_. I don't like it."

I nod. "I know."

"So what are you going to do?"

I blink. "Me?"

Matt looks up, an eyebrow raised. "You're the one with the problem Tai."

I sigh, stroking the fur of my sleeping Koromon. "I know. I don't know what'll happen next. But…"

"But?"

"She's your girlfriend. And you love her. And she loves you. So you've got to know that I would never do anything to come between you. Ever. I love you both too much."

Matt's lips bend to one side, his eyebrows remaining furrowed, but his eyes themselves have softened at least. "…I see."

"I've been lying to myself and it's time that stopped… I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess. I'm sorry for not being honest with you. And… I'm sorry I held on so long. But I'm going to do everything in my power to change. I can promise you that."

"…Promises can be hard to keep." Matt tells me.

I nod. "I'm trying."

"…I know. Can we…" He looks upwards, as if searching for how to respond to me. "Let's talk more when my chest doesn't feel like a Monochromon sat on it."

I nod. "…Alright. Sorry for making things awkward."

"Things were always awkward." Matt shoots me a look. "It's just now you've admitted it's your fault."

I blink in shock, and then realize too late that he's teasing me when the side of his lip curls into a cheeky grin. "Jerk." I halfheartedly throw sand his way.

"First step in fixing a problem is admitting you have one," he nods sagely.

We laugh, and this feels good somehow. Like a moment of healing long overdue.

The moment is interrupted however by a light ping of a digital device from Matt's side of the dune. Matt crosses Tsunomon to one arm and fishes his D-Terminal out of his pocket again. I can see from my spot in the sand that a light is flashing red at the top. Matt scrolls through before looking up at me. I can tell from his tone that it's good news.

"D-Terminals are working again. Davis and Ken are coming with Imperialdramon. Apparently they got held up defending Neo-Delhi from those things."

"Are they okay?"

"They seem fine. We'll ask how the settlement is when they pick us up."

"And the science team?" I ask.

Matt blushes. "Ah, I totally forgot about them! I'll send them their coordinates."

I laugh. "We'll just tell them when they get here. No need to rush."

"Suit yourself." Matt shrugs. He types out a final note to Davis and Ken before tossing the D-Terminal in the sand beside him and lying back with Tsunomon. "What a terrible weekend."

I shrug. "At least Datamon's dead."

"…NEO."

It's like a quiet whisper of dread. I feel a shiver up my spine. "Yeah."

"That's gonna be a problem." Matt says, almost absently.

I nod again. "…Yeah."

We let that sit for a minute.

"Meh… We'll deal with him later."

I blink and look down. Koromon's eyes are still closed, but that was definitely his voice. I smile and pat him on the head and he snuggles closer to me. "You got it buddy."

I look over to see Matt smiling at us, stroking the fur around Tsunomon's horn as the little orange puff ball wriggles around trying to snuggle deeper into his partners arm. Whatever this NEO thing is will be a problem. But we'll worry about that tomorrow. Today we defeated Datamon. Today we saved the Digital world.

Today I finally came clean.

"Matt?" I say softly.

"Yeah?"

"About that elephant…" I face him, and flash the biggest smile I can muster considering. It's big, wide, and completely honest. "It will never be bigger than you and me."

He blinks, then smiles back. "…I know."

"I love you." I tell him.

He laughs. "Me too, you raging psychopath."

And with that it feels like everything between us returns to normal (or as normal as the two of us can be anyway) and I can afford a sigh of relief. I close my eyes and lean back into the sand, knowing that no matter what happens from this point on, everything will work out alright.

I love Matt Ishida. Honestly. He's my best friend. My rival. My XO. The guy who keeps me honest. No matter what I feel for his girlfriend, those things will never change. _Never_. So you can throw all the look-a-likes, all the lies, all the missed opportunities at me that you want. So long as he's there by my side I can let it all go. If nothing else, today has shown me just how strong we are together. We may bend. We won't break.

My ears pick up the sound of Imperialdramon as he drops out of the speed of sound about a kilometer away, but I stay where I am, eyes shut, letting the sun wash over me. This thing between Matt and I isn't going to go away easily. But for now we are content. It's going to take a long time to fix everything, but at least we've started. And guess what? We just killed off one of our most annoying enemies, rendered the dark network useless, and saved the Digiworld. We won. And how do I know that?

Because we're still alive.

* * *

**GODFALL**

**23**

**Digimon**


	24. Chapter 24

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Chapter 24

* * *

We're alive: which means we won. I guess.

I feel the wind in my hair as I ride on the back of Imperialdramon. Tsunomon – my little puff ball of orange fur and a giant horn sticking through the middle – is still thoroughly asleep in my arms. Across from me, sitting on Tai's lap, Koromon is a little more animated; though it appears more likely that he's sleep fighting again. Tai lets him, too tired to ask his buddy to stop punching him in the chest with his ear/arms, a big grin on his face. It takes me a minute to realize that I have one too.

It's the first real talk we've had about this… thing between us in a long time. And it's the first real movement forward. The first step to recovery is acknowledging the problem right? We've got a lot of steps to go from here, not just him (though I'm right, it is mostly his problem). I'm just as guilty of biting my lounge as he is. I'm just as guilty as pushing our problems under the rug because it's simpler than dealing. It's been my MO for too long now. It's time for a change.

And if nothing else today has taught me an important lesson about us: we're strongest when we're together. No matter our adversity, if it's him and me, we can withstand it. We may bend, we won't break. And that fact causes my grin to evolve into a full smile.

Davis Motomiya gives me a sideways glance. "What are you so chipper about? You look like absolute sh-."

"Davis."

Davis shoots his DNA partner and moral compass Ken Ichijouji a dirty look before rolling his eyes. "Crap. You look like crap."

"Thanks Davis." I say sarcastically. But my smile doesn't leave my face.

"Are you okay?" Ken asks, a little more serious than his friend.

I turn and look towards Tai, and we share the same stupid expression. "Yeah. We're gonna be fine."

"Whatever you say," Davis shrugs. Ken keeps an eye on us for a moment longer, before letting it go as well. Which is fine with me. The wind is in my hair, the sun is shining down, and I'm still alive. I couldn't ask for more.

It takes us only moments to arrive at the MAGAMI campsite. By then my smile has dissipated. The whole place looks like it's been hit by a terrible earthquake. Fissures in the earth viciously jut out at awkward angles, tents near and far are torn through. Some are even burning. It doesn't bode well for our scientists.

"Did they make it?" I ask no one in particular.

As if on cue, from beneath one of the torn tents appears a human woman in a robe, gazing up at us. More heads begin to appear as Imperialdramon begins his descent, and I breathe a little easier.

"We are now arriving at our destination." Imperialdramon booms. "Would all humans please remain in their seats until the captain has turned off the seat belt sign above you."

"We had seatbelts?" Davis asks in perfect seriousness. Ken laughs in spite of himself.

"Alright Imperialdramon…"

"Had to be done." The twin voices of ExVeemon and Stingmon bounce in my ear with jovial air.

Which is more than I can say for the refugee researchers. They look absolutely terrified at the sight of our friend's giant dragon descending from the clouds.

"It's alright," Davis calls to them as we finally make landfall. "We're the good guys."

"Is anyone sick or wounded?" Asks Ken.

The woman named Tally is about to respond, when the miserable face of Akihiro Kurata appears in the way. "It's about time you fools got here. Do you know how long we've been waiting?"

Ken blinks. "No, but I get the feeling you're going to tell us."

"A full hour we've been sitting around waiting for you. We're starving and in shock and no care was given to us. Don't you know how dangerous the digital world is? We could have been a Digimon snack!"

"I highly doubt any of the Digimon out here would try to eat you." Ken mused. "Steal your wallet maybe…"

Kurata apparently didn't find that very funny. The old man sneers at Ken, contempt hardly masked across his thin hawkish face. "Do you think this is a joke, boy?"

Ken frowns. "Excuse me?"

"You picking a fight old man?" Davis snarls, his hot blood already starting to boil.

"Oh, you'd love that wouldn't you? You children love throwing your weight around with these freaks backing you up huh?"

"Hey, you watch your tone!" The dragon's voice echoed across the desert.

"Down Imperialdramon." Ken mutters.

The woman named Riley steps forward. "He most certainly is not. Kurata what is the matter with you?"

"We were forced to trek in the desert nearly a kilometer to reach this campsite – in the middle of a monsters attempt to take over the world mind you – with little consideration from our would be saviors, who bickered and fought the whole way here only to abandon us in the last minute. Forgive me if I'm not impressed."

Davis mouth is wide open, and I know simply from the crooked look in his eye that Davis was going to say some pretty awful things to this man right then and there. But Ken catches him by the shoulder to shut him up, and quickly bows. "We apologize for your terrible experience. We shall endeavor to do better. Now, if someone could lead us to your supplies so that we may gather everything now."

"Certainly," Riley said, and turns to lead Davis into the tent to grab their things.

"Unacceptable," Kurata continues his ramblings. "When we return to the Real World I will be sure to file a complaint with the United Nations –"

"I'm not so sure you should be so eager to get back to the real world, what with the Jailtime you all are looking at."

Tai's interjection suddenly has Kurata doing a one-eighty personality wise. Suddenly he's a timid old man, withering in the sun. "J-jail time? What do you mean j-jail time?"

I press my fingers to my chin and ponder the circumstances, staring out at each and every researcher with equal annoyance. "Mm… That's right: illegal experimentation on living data, the transfer of illegal firearms across dimensions, unleashing a virus that nearly destroyed the entire digiworld?"

"Oh. And you don't have a permit." Tai points directly to Kurata, who appropriately freaks out.

"I-I have special clearance…"

Tai looms in close, his eyes narrow and dangerous. "Then you'd better hope they clear all this up with me and fast. Because if not, when I'm done with you, you're going to wish Datamon were still treating you like soup."

"Gg…"

Satisfied that he has sufficiently soiled this man's pants, Tai leans back up, looking up to the sky in thought. "Add it all up and I'm thinking that's… what, at least twenty years each?"

I nod sagely. "Eighteen with good behavior."

"B-but we didn't do anything!" He whimpers.

"You didn't. MAGAMI did. And if you think the governments of the world are going to turn a blind eye to this you've got another thing coming. Believe me. There will be an investigation, and you will pay for the damage done here if I have to see to it personally."

Kurata growls. "But… but you're just a kid."

Tai eyes the old man darkly. "I haven't been a kid since I was eleven years old."

He lets that one hang, and our little group of survivors keeps quiet from then on. Smart on their parts I guess. "Sit down," I tell them. "We'll deal with you guys when we realize."

At that moment I feel a tug on my pant leg. I turn to find the younger tamer – Yuu, if I remember right – looking up at me. I frown. "Nn?"

"Um… Bro? Am… Am I going to jail?"

"Yuu!" His sister tries to shush him.

I laugh. "How old are you Yuu?"

"T-ten…"

I sigh. _So young_… "This was your first mission?"

He nods.

"Do you want more?"

He nods faster. I turn to Tai, who's been watching. He kneels with Koromon and smiles at the kid. "Well Yuu… after you get all patched up, I want you to head for Primary Village and let them know your partner will be returning shortly. When he does, you treat him to a big bowl of ice cream and tell him everything that happened while he was away. And then, once you two have bonded again, call Izzy Izumi and ask for Tai Kamiya. That's me."

"W-what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see to it that all your missions from here on will be the best missions ever. And you'll never have to go to jail. How's that?"

He nods like no tomorrow.

"Good."

Tai keeps looking away from us, towards the billowing smoke cloud that points to the final resting place of Datamon.

"You okay?"

He turns and smiles, but there are tears in his eyes. "Yeah."

I frown and join him, looking out across the desert as the black pillars of smoke rise from the sands up to the digital heavens.

"I think I'm going to miss her." He says finally.

"Rei?" I ask, as my frown deepens.

He nods somberly. "…Yeah."

My brows furrow. The image of the skinny redhead that looks too much like my girlfriend floating into my mind. The image of the poor creature who's entire existence was a lie. A poor soul who found meaning in my best friend, and died for that meaning. I didn't like the girl we called Rei, for many reasons. But that doesn't mean I don't understand what Tai is feeling right this second.

"…Me too." I tell Tai quietly. "Me too…"

Ken and Davis finish loading the last of the researcher's things onto Imperialdramon; only essentials were allowed to be brought aboard – passports, ID cards, family heirlooms for the one old guy who still kept his mother's jewelry around for whatever reason. We don't pry. Pretty soon, the only things not on Imperialdramon are us.

"Ready to go home?" I ask him.

Tai nods. "More than anything."

We climb aboard and join our partners. Space is a lot more crampt than it was when we flew down of course, and there is some skirmishing for spacing behind us, bue fo the most part those who have survived the days events remain quiet, and for that I am greatful. We each take a collective breath as Imperialdramon rises into the air and everyone hangs on as he shoots off like a bullet across the sands.

It takes us only moments to arrive safely in Neo-Delhi. The city definitely looks hard hit by battle, as smoke is rising from several of the buildings, and the way humans and Digimon alike seem to be moving like ghosts, haunting the grounds that once held their peace. Imperialdramon lands neatly and everyone disembarks in single file, greeted by Neo-Dehli's composite human/digimon security force. Kurata especially doesn't seem to like this. It brings a smile to my face.

A few of the survivors manage to thank us for our heroism. Most don't. They're all quickly and quietly gathered up by security and shuttled off to a medical tent to treat their injuries. If I never see them again it'll be good riddance. But I have a sick feeling I'm definitely going to end up seeing them again.

Nene and Yuu hang back though. Good kids the both of them. They bow to Tai and myself, and thank Davis and Ken for flying them home. Nene looks as if she's done with the Digiworld for the time being, which is sad but understandable. But I've seen the look in Yuu's eyes before. I'm definitely going to be seeing more of him too.

They're both gone before long though. Which is fine. Tai and I slide off Imperialdramon, our partners still in our arms, and lands on the ground with a thump. Ken and Davis follow suit, and once everyone and everything is off his back, Imperialdramon shakes his armored shell and begins to glow. In second the de-digivolution egg surrounds him and splits, and both Ken and Davis reach up and collect their partners Wormmon and Veemon from the air. And with that, I can finally rest easy.

A cry wakes me from my daydream. I look up to see Mina rushing through the gate towards us, a look of relif flushed across her pretty brown face. She flings her long arms around Tai and gives him a warm hug. He reciprocates, lightly.

"W-watch the arm Mina!"

She blushes and lets go, and Tai again holds to his arm, which has stabilized to the point that it isn't phase-shifting all over the place. "I was worried for you Tai-san." She says with an attempt at Japanese honorifics. It's adorable, and Tai cracks a small smile for her.

"You may want to have Joe look at that." Says Ken.

"Already covered." I tell him. "Izzy's having us meet him at the realization point. We'll be in and out before anyone notices."

"That's good."

"How were things over here?" I ask.

Mina sighs, surveying the remnants of the attack. "Damage was heavy on the outskirts, but thanks to Davis and the others things weren't disastrous. It will take us little time to rebuild."

"Good."

"And the others?"

I frown. "Others?"

Mina's face darkens, a look of apprehension creeping up her beautiful face. "This isn't the full Tamer unit we sent. There were six with them – one for each researcher. Now there are only two."

"…"

"They're gone. Aren't they?"

Ken nods, slowly. "Sorry. If they didn't ride with Imperialdramon…"

She nods. Her dark eyes gaze towards the ground for a moment before facing us with a fury. "Tell me you got the monster that did this."

Tai frowns. "…Yeah." He says softly. "We got him."

If Mina notices his trepidation, she doesn't care. "Good."

"What'll you do now?" I ask carefully.

She ponders sadly to herself and steps away from us. "Now? Now I make a very sad visit to the parents of those poor children, explaining why their sons and daughters won't be coming home. This will not be easy for me. I feel as though my own children were lost."

"What'll happen?"

She shrugs and smiles at me, her face hardly hiding the tears in her eyes. "I do not know. It has been many months since a human lost their life in the Digiworld. To lose this many in one moment… I can only pray for forgiveness and hope my people will accept our grief. Either way it will not matter. When this is over I will resign my post as Digidestined."

I sputter. "What?"

"Aww, Mina, you don't have to do that." Davis crosses his arms.

"It was my job to protect them. I became complacent and they were lost to me. That is a terrible burden."

"Don't do anything too hasty Mina," I tell her. "They didn't lose their lives in vain. They died protecting others. They died Tamers. Tell their parents that."

She blinks, and then smiles. "I will."

It's the first time I think anyone's thought of Tamers like that. The Digidestined didn't have a choice in the matter. But them? They chose to be here. They chose to protect the Digiworld from danger. There's great honor in that.

"Man, It's cool fighting a weird tentacle thing or whatever, but I hate that I missed out on the real stuff this time. You don't think anything left from the ruins to crack down on huh?" Asks Davis.

"You're welcome to look for yourself." Tai snips.

Ken raises an eyebrow. "Tai?"

Tai blinks, realizing he may have come off too harshly. "I had a chunk of my arm cut out today." He finally mumbles.

"Right." Says Ken, and all is then forgiven. I get the feeling we'll be hearing that excuse for a few more weeks.

"Still, the mission was a success right?" Davis scratches his ear. "We found out that some nutcase Digimon from your past rebooted himself and tried to kill everyone, you squashed his brains in, rescued the survivors, and destroyed his hub once and for all!"

"It's not that simple Davis." Tai says.

"It never is with Datamon." I join him.

Davis pouts, arms crossed against his chest. "I don't see what the big deal is." He huffs. "Didn't you save everyone you could?"

"Almost everyone."

Mina looks to Tai for more, but he doesn't give her any answer. I hold my peace as well: there's nothing one can say.

We part on good terms; Mina promises to at least table her resignation until she talks to the families. She does good work out here, and we'd hate to lose her. We leave Ken and Davis to lead an assembled Tamer mop up operation of the few Gizmon left brainlessly wandering about.

Izzy's partner Tentomon volunteers to keep an eye on our partners until they're back to the rookie stage. Our partners never like to be separated from us, but it's especially painful for them when they're at the In-Training stage. They'll be back to rookies with a good meal and a lot of rest, and there's always next week.

And the week after that and the week after that. Both worlds are still around. We're alive. What's a few days more.

We're halfway to our portal home when Tai stops dead in his tracks. "Wait."

"Tai?"

I frown and turn to see what he's staring at. It's Shamanmon-Rev, still preaching his strange gospel. But there are Digimon who will hear it now. Before him bow several rookies and champions, each repeating his words with incredible devotion that it's both exhilarating and frightening to watch.

"Oh give thanks unto Man. For Man are not Digimon that they should corrupt. Oh give thanks unto the Digidestined, for they are the heralds of peace in the Digiworld! They are…"

The little ogre stops his sermon and turns to us. His congregation look up one by one awe and humility on their many faces. Shamanmon-Rev leaps from his pulpit of wood and crosses through his congregation, his arms outstretched, a smile on his green scaley face.

"Blessings upon us! The Digidestined have returned from their conquest of the darkness, you see, the prayers of the righteous 'mon ascended to their ears as smoke to the skies. Blessings be upon us, for before their fury all other gods fall –"

Tai raises a hand, and the Shamanmon is silent. He takes a deep breath.

"Please. Don't lead these people astray anymore. We're only human. We make mistakes." He gazes to the sky momentarily, fighting back tears again. "We are not gods."

The Shamanmon takes this pretty hard; his mouth agape and his eyes almost white with shock. Tai doesn't wait around to see what happens next, he quietly turns on his heel, clutching his injured arm, and heads back to me. "Let's go," he tells me. I agree wholeheartedly.

The morning is almost gone by the time the portal boots up. Tai goes through first. I paus and take a second to look out towards the deserts. Smoke still floats lazily from the ruins of Datamon's prison. The day is quiet, and the land is calm. But that doesn't mean we can rest easy. We have a responsibility. We're the Digidestined, and it's our duty to protect the worlds.

No matter the consequences.

**GODFALL**

**24**

**Digimon**


	25. Epilogue

**Digimon**

**GODFALL**

By. Sonfaro

Epilogue

* * *

No matter the consequences, we did our job. I have to remember that.

The trek back to the real world is uneventful. Izzy is there to greet us and we're all able to shuffle out of the lab and into Joe's van before anyone notices something is wrong with us. I get an earful from our resident medic, who reminds me of all the times I've done something rash and deliberately dangerous just for the sake of doing so. I assure him that wasn't my intent at all, and that I'm just glad to be home. Hey, one out of two ain't bad.

Matt's in luck, his ribs aren't broken, though they are badly bruised. Joe's diagnosis is for him to take it easy. Which will screw up a number of things, including band practice and any attempts at getting past third base with Sora. It's the little things in life you appreciate.

I'm kidding. I'm fine. It's not that big a deal. Besides, I have enough on my plate.

Speaking of which, she's there to greet us as well; looking tired and worried and generally not pleased with our little adventure. She keeps back with Izzy while Joe gives us a quick look over: a checkup here means no trip to the hospital which means no public record of a digidestined returning from the Digiworld looking like we've been through the grinder. Many people still view us as children, and if they saw their children coming home with knife wounds and the like…

At least we're coming home though.

Joe tells me to change the bandage at least twice a week, keep it out of strange lotions or chemicals, and in general, take it easy for the next few days. Wounds from the Digital world heal slow, but they usually heal completely, and unless I pick at it I shouldn't scar. Izzy asks a million questions at once; the largest of which being where is his cross-dimensional clunker phone. I… honestly don't remember what happened to it. He's rightly peeved.

And Sora?

"You're both big _stupid_ jerks!" She tells us between tears after Joe officially gives us an all clear on his rush job diagnostics exam. She slaps us both, hard across the face, before she embraces us; me first hard beneath the ribcage, and then Matt, softer, delicate, with her head buried in his chest. We're both probably looking as silent treatments from her for a month or so. Totally deserved.

Matt sooths everything over the way only he can with her, and we plan our next move. For now we head home and try and pretend nothing happened. But we're going to have to have a meeting about this. MAGAMI needs to give us answers, children need to be mourned, and a mutated Digifreak needs to be found.

We don't talk about Rei. To anyone.

Joe says he'll drive me over once my arm is properly bandaged, and for that I thank him. Sora takes Matt home, fussing like a wife for her husband. Matt and I share a glance before he disappears in the back of her car. No words need to be said.

I call my parents on the way over and let them know I'm coming to visit. As usual, there are a million questions at once. Typically, I don't come home unless something has happened so they're right to worry. But I tell them, quite simply, that I've had a long day and don't feel like riding the train all the way to the other side of Tokyo just for kicks. It's not a complete lie, so I feel better about myself. Dad tells me he'll leave the door unlocked.

It's pretty late when I get to my parents home. I tease Joe a little before I wave goodbye – he's gotten a cute girlfriend with glasses who rides bikes for a living. It's hilarious watching a grown man squirm. And then I make the long climb up to the apartment I grew up in.

My parents are sitting at the dinner table when I greet them, anxious of course. I tell them that I dived headfirst into some bushes after a soccer ball and a stray limb pierced my arm. They don't believe me, but they don't pry any further. At this point they simply assume that: A.) all my scrapes and bruises come from the Digital World. B.) That as long as there is a modem around me I will somehow find a way into it. And C.) _There's nothing they can do about it_.

I suppose it could be worse. At least they don't know about me Rei.

_…or NEO._

I sigh. Things in our world are about to get really complicated.

I pass my sisters room without even the inkling of going in and teasing her. I flop headfirst onto the couch in the living room and close my eyes. I'm too tired to have any real fun tonight. I'll probably hide a fake roach in her drawer tomorrow morning or something.

At this point I remember the quiz tomorrow, and let myself groan, once.

I sit up and pull out the notes from my back pocket. They're dusty, wrinkled, torn and barely legible. I sit up and try to read over them anyway. A part of me wants nothing more than to close my eyes and forget this world. A world of boring people living boring lives. A part of me… a large part of me tells me that I've got nothing to worry about, that one little quiz isn't going to kill me. That there are so many other things I could be doing instead of what I should have done that first night I decided not to come home and go on an adventure. A part of me says that I shouldn't grow up.

I ignore that part of me.

Real or not, I let my emotions get the best of me. And it cost me a friend. It cost me Rei. I can't afford to do that again. I wince from the pain, but I look over my notes anyway. Tomorrow I'll tease my sister. Tomorrow I'll thank my parents for letting me come over. Tomorrow I'll take a quiz. Tomorrow I'll call Sora and preempt her nagging with an apology. Tomorrow I'll thank Matt for being the best friend a guy can have. Tomorrow I will truly mourn Rei.

Heck, tomorrow I may even eat lunch with Ami Kitajima.

All these thoughts can wait till morning. Right now, in _this_ moment, I am recovering from a battle and studying for my class. I've been granted another day of in this place, in this world I still call home. I don't have to chase down adventure. Life is enough. And I have all the time in the world.

My name is Tai Kamiya. I am the Digidestined of Courage.

And I am practicing patience.

**GODFALL**

**Epilogue**

**Digimon**


End file.
